This lecturer with a polytechnic believes in practising and not preaching as he has kept his vow of pedalling for a whole week to spread awareness on non-motorised transport.
Marzooq Ahmed, lecturer in Civil Engineering with P.A. Polytechnic, Konaje, took up the initiative — Wwoow Factor (Whole Week Only On Wheels) — on February 26. Till Sunday, he either rode a bicycle or walked to any place he happened to travel.
To begin with, Mr. Ahmed rode to his institute every day instead of using any motorised transport. With the support of the principal, K.P. Soofie, and his colleagues in the institute, Mr. Ahmed also conducted awareness programmes to 750-odd students explaining to them the benefits of non-motorised transport, including reduced carbon footprint.
He told the students: “I believe that as an individual I cannot do escalating work but as a socially responsible citizen I can sit on a saddle and steer my thoughts and actions by pedalling to make a small drop in the ocean accountable, to improve the quality of the air that we all inhale.”
Students do their bit
Students too shared a bit of their knowledge and practice on non-motorised transport. While Vishnu and Fareen highlighted the importance of carpooling and reduced dependence on motorised vehicles for short distances, Tilak spoke about the benefits of cycling and how it helps environment conservation. Sapnaz added the concluding statement at the awareness programme by saying, “The actions we show now will reflect in our future. We need to uphold and undertake right measures to control pollution now.”
While Mr. Ahmed is used to regular rides being a member of Mangalore Bicycle Club (MBC), he rode from the institute to Circuit House in the city on Thursday afternoon when the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board opened its continuous weather monitoring centre to show his commitment.
Besides riding bicycle and inspiring his students, Mr. Ahmed is also interacting with the public to create awareness about environment conservation. On Saturday, he spoke to several students in Belthangady taluk as part of his mission.
