In an act of philanthropy, around 20 Puneites, aged between 25 and 79, cycled for more than 900 kilometers in Madhya Pradesh in an effort to spread awareness on the benefits of cycling in that state. The participants returned to the city recently, and out of the entire lot of enthusiasts, five were women.

The participants had left for Indore by train to take part in the Pune-Madhya Pradesh Friendship and Environment Awareness Cycle Rally, which MP Sumitra Mahajan flagged off on December 26, 2010.

Y L Marathe, a veteran cyclist, led the team while Jugal Rathi and Dr Nirupama Bhave were the organizers of the rally. Pune Cycle Pratisthan president Dr Dilip Sarda played a pivotal role in arranging various awareness programs during the rally.

“Cycle is the most effectual and inexpensive fitness machine. The rally aroused a lot of interest and curiosity amongst locals in the cities and villages en route,” said Rathi.

The other participants in the rally were Sheela Paralikar, Avinash Medhekar, Vinayak Dhere, Datta Gokhale, Arvind Chitale, Manik Pawar, Vinayak Marathe, Aparna Mahajan, Shubhangi Nagnath, Deepa Shembekar, V V Bhide, Dattatray Phadnis, Arun Kadekodi, Vedprakash Dubey, Shrikant Gurjar, Neerav Kulshreshth, Pranav Sathaye and Dr Swati.

The cycle rally, after passing through Omkareshwar, Mandu, Dewas, Ujjain, Ashta, Bhopal, Sanchi, Vidisha, Sagar, Gulganj, Khajuraho and Orcha, finally ended at Jhansi on January 3.

“I believe that the effort was a very noble one. People need to understand that together we can make a difference. Rising number of vehicles on roads, add to the overall crisis of global warming and other environmental issues. So, if possible, it is best for us to use cycles for commuting,” opines Roma Dixit, a resident on Prabhat Road

- Siddhartha Laik