Duo who hails from Panvel in Mumbai has been the cyclic enthusiasts from childhood thought something differently.
A great initiative has been taken up by both cyclists Sumeet Paringe (26) and his childhood friend Prisiliya Madan (22) to collect funds for girl child education.
They started travelling from Kanyakumari to Khardung La Pass on bamboo-framed cycles for raising fund and already cycled for 41 days to reach Delhi on Wednesday.
Aim To Raise Rs. 50 lakh
To spread education to 1,500 economically and socially backward girls, Madan and Paringe have joined hands with Gurgaon-based NGO IIMPACT (formed by IIM-Ahmadabad alumni) and are aiming to raise Rs 50 lakh on the crowdfunding website, www.fueladream.com under the title ‘Cyclists For Change’.
So far, they have managed to raise around Rs 28 lakh.
No Satellite Navigation and Route Map
To the surprise, duos are not carrying any route map or satellite navigation. They say, ‘our idea is to reach out to maximum people on the way and try and spread awareness in the schools, villages and community falling in their way.’
“It has been a great learning experience. India is generally tagged unsafe but we met most hospitable people during our trip. But roads of India is really dangerous where no respect in given to cyclists,” Paringe said.
Preparation Before Trip
In order to sustain high temperatures in south India to rain and humidity during the monsoon and extreme cold and harsh condition in Himalayas, both the cyclists have prepared their body for several months to be able to take on the strenuous route.
“The infrastructure and roads leave a lot to be desired. There are few spaces where we can safely park our cycles. Also, everyone in cars are in a hurry and cycles are almost invisible to them, which is dangerous. Cycling is the perfect solution for our congested cities, if people would use them for travelling short distances at least,” Sumeet explains.
