Ever wondered what it would be like to keep your fume-belching motor vehicle parked in the shed and go about your day? There are still multiple ways to get your work done. Go for some pedal power or catch the public transport or simply foot it. Here’s your chance for a try-out. Indus Cycling Embassy observes World Car-Free Day this Sunday (September 22) with the message of going green and promoting the benefits of cycling.
On the occasion, Manaveeyam Veedhi shows the way ahead with a cycling carnival that packs in fun-filled programmes highlighting pedal power. “Though called ‘Car-Free Day’, the event, observed in many cities across the world, by extension calls for an automobile-free day. The objective is to raise awareness about cultivating an eco-friendly culture by shunning use of emission fuel as much as possible and following a healthy lifestyle by taking up cycling,” says Prakash P Gopinath, founder of Indus Cycling Embassy, better known as the Bicycle Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram. The event, a first-of-its-kind in the city, is also an effort to call attention to mounting air pollution levels, he adds.
During a ride by Indus Cycling Embassy
Corporation officials will cordon off entries to Manaveeyam Veedhi from 6.30 am to 9.30 pm for the day where people can gather for a “fun ride” on the cycles provided at the venue as a symbolic initiative. Other programmes include an awareness ride on cycles from 6.30 am from the venue that covers the Statue-Palayam-Kowdiar-Vellayambalam route.
A highlight is collection of old and discarded bicycles from the public that will be repaired and given out to members of cycle clubs that Indus Cycling Embassy plans to form in several schools in the city to nurture ‘cycle brigades’. “We will also be conducting a ‘Bicycle Clinic’ where mechanics would provide training, especially for children, in fixing minor mechanical hitches themselves,” says Prakash.
There will also be an exhibition and sale of a range of cycles, from basic models to road bikes. The day will be topped off with cultural programmes by volunteers of Vellayani-based educational institute kanthari.
Time to kick-start a cycle of change!
