Pedalling from Mumbai to Kolkata for a cause

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, November 1

Travelling from Mumbai to Kolkata on a bicycle to spread the message of peace, humanity, and above all a pollution-free country, Gyanander Singh arrived in the city, which is also known as a bicycle hub of the nation.

As a salute to his endeavour, the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA), the largest body of the bicycle industry in Asia, felicitated Gyanander at UCPMA Complex where members of the bicycle industry also interacted with the visiting cyclist. Charanjit Singh Vishivkarma, UCPMA chief, presented “president honour” to Gyanander.

A resident of Uttarakhand, Gyanander Singh started cycling from Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on February 1, 2015, and has travelled across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana before arriving in Punjab after covering a distance of some 4,860 km during the past eight months.

He said from Ludhiana, he would proceed to Jalandhar, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Shimla, Dehradun, Mathura, Agra, Bhopal, Nagpur, Raipur, Bhubaneswar and the last leg of his cycle tour would end at the Eden Garden Stadium in Kolkata.

Sharing his experience with doyens of the bicycle industry, Gyanander said he had undertaken such cycle tours earlier as well to spread the message of peace and brotherhood across the nation. “Till now, I have covered a distance of 27,080 km on my bicycle in the course of similar expeditions,” he said, adding that bicycle was the best mode of transport to check alarming levels of pollution in the country, especially the metros and mega cities.

Among others, Rajinder Singh Pappu, Rajinder Singh Sarhali, Kulpreet Malhotra, Manmohan Singh Marton, Satinderjit Singh Autom, Swarn Singh Darera and Gurpreet Singh were also present on the occasion.