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RAMANATHAPURAM, May 2, 2013Uttrakhand man on peace expedition
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Gyanendra Singh, a social worker from Uttarakhand who since 2002 has undertaken four cycle expeditions covering 14,775 km for the cause of world peace, launched his fifth tour from Rameswaram on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old bachelor began his ambitious expedition, intending to cover 6,000 km across 12 States, on Tuesday evening after offering prayers at the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple.
Carrying a slogan “Crime control is my prime patrol,” Mr. Singh, who made a brief stopover here, said he began the first “Sadbhavana Cycle Yatra” after the 2002 Gujarat communal riots. “After the Gujarat riots, I decided to dedicate myself to peace and communal harmony,” he said.
The Hercules Company has gifted him a brand new sports cycle for the present expedition. He plans to cover 150 km a day, accepting food offered by the people and resting at ashrams on the way.
After visiting Madurai on Wednesday, Mr. Singh will proceed to Kerala and end his expedition in Uttar Pradesh in August, traversing through Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar, he told The Hindu.
His first expedition from May to August 2002 was for communal harmony, unity and world peace. His second expedition from March to April 2011, traversing six States, was for the victory of the Indian cricket team in the World Cup tournament and for the protection of Indian culture. Through his third mission via four States and Nepal, from November 2011 to March 2012, Mr. Singh stressed the importance of world peace. During his fourth expedition, he travelled through eight States, promoting world peace and prosperity, he said.
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MANGALORE, July 4, 2013On a cycle and a prayer
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Gyanendra from Uttrakhand is on a 6,000km journey for peace
Pedal Pusher:Gyanendra Singh says he doesn’t plan his trips, he just listen to his inner voice. He stopped over in Mangalore on Wednesday.— Photo: R. Eswarraj
For 43-year-old Gyanendra Singh from Uttarakhand covering long distances on his cycle has become a regular feature. “Andar se aawaz aata hai aur mein nikaleta hoon (It’s a calling and I start off).” He says, “I do not bother about money. I leave it to God.”
Mr. Singh, a graduate in Tourism Studies, is on his fifth peace mission from Rameshwaram to Ramnagar near Nainital in Uttarakhand. “I just leave with a pair of clothes, a bottle of water and a good collection of philosophical books. I go ahead with the mission. I face the difficulties that come along,” says Mr. Singh, an avid long-distance cyclist.
His first long ride was on his favourite non-gear cycle in 2002 soon after the riots in Gujarat. His second ride was for 2,500 km in March 2011, followed by 5115-km ride in November 2011. His fourth long ride was 4160-km long covering Jammu and Kashmir and seven other States in March 2012.
In his fifth mission, started on April 29, Mr. Singh has covered 2,080 km on his new gear cycle. He has visited Madurai, Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. He arrived in Mangalore on Tuesday evening from Kasaragod. His next halt is in Bangalore and the journey began Wednesday evening. His plan is to cover 6,000 km this time.
Mr. Singh says he stops at temples, gurudwas, mosques and schools, where he speaks to people about maintaining peace. “I do not plan these visits. I just enter the place which I feel like.” Asked whether this has been effective, he does not speak in superlatives. Mr. Singh replies nonchalantly, “This is my way of working for the objective.”
It has not been a smooth journey. Mr. Singh has back pain carrying his 20-kg bag, which, he says, is filled with books.
He has to ride in heavy rain and occasionally in night to reach his destination for the day.
He has had difficulty in finding places to stay in the night and on occasions he is bugged by mechanical faults with his bicycle.
But troubles in such long journeys are usual. “God is there to help me out.” His reply is nearly similar when he is asked whether he misses his family for such a long period. “I have not contacted my brother or parents for the last two months. I hope they are fine.”
Mr. Singh, a bachelor, says he does not know whether the recent floods in Uttarakhand had caused any damage to his family members.
“God is there to look after it. I am continuing with my mission,” he says, and leaves the city.
Updated: January 5, 2014 00:28 IST
Spreading peace, on two wheels
Gyanendra Singh from Uttarakhand, who made a pit stop in Hyderabad as part of his pan-India cycle tour to spread peace through awareness on crime. - Photo: K. Ramesh Babu
A maths tuition teacher from Uttarakhand, Gyanendra Singh is on a 10,000-kilometre tour of various cities to spread world peace
How far can one go to spread the message of world peace? How’s 20,000 kilometres for an answer? The story of 43-year-old Gyanendra Singh from Uttarakhand is one that makes even the best efforts by marathon cyclists appear pale.
On April 29, 2013, the mathematics tuition teacher set out to complete a 10,000 km-plus cycling tour – his fifth such – to educate youth on the importance of controlling crime. In the past seven months, Singh has covered more than 5,200 km.
“I will cross 15-20 States during my current expedition and traverse major cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and others,” says Singh, who hails from Kundeshwari village in Uttarakhand.
During his previous four cycling expeditions, Singh clocked a total of 14,775 km, spanning different north-Indian States. In his last tour – from March 21 to July 26 in 2012 – he toured eight northern States on his bicycle. In the current journey, he has been to Madurai, Kanyakumari, Udupi, Sringeri, Mysore and other cities where he delivered lectures in schools and colleges to spread his message of world peace.
“After Hyderabad, I will go to Pune, Ralegaon, Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolkata, Patna, New Delhi, Dehradun and then get back to Ramnagar,” he explained.
For his services, he has received certificates of appreciation from a great many educational institutions and had also been gifted a cycle by Hercules Bicycles.
And what does his family have to say about his tours?
“They don’t understand what I am trying to do, but they don’t say anything. Since I am unmarried, it is easier for me to go whenever I want to,” Singh says.
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