Hyderabad: After being neglected for years, the sensitive issue of global warming is finally getting much-deserved attention. However, while several people choose to do armchair activism, 30-year-old Abhimanyu Singh, has undertaken a tedious 100-day long bike ride to raise awareness about making the planet greener. With the mission, ‘each one plant one’, Abhimanyu was recently in Hyderabad, where he distributed over 500 saplings, and also planted trees with young kids, encouraging them to protect the flora around them. His father-in-law’s untimely death due to coronavirus inspired Abhimanyu to take up the mission to make the country greener.
“My father-in-law passed away due to lack of oxygen. I was very close to him, and he often asked me to take him on a long bike ride as well. His passing was very hard for the whole family. However, I wanted to pay tribute to him differently, and so I decided to take up this journey. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but my family, especially my wife, supported me throughout,” says Abhimanyu, who started his journey in Bhopal.
The biker, who has travelled to almost every State of India in the last three months and distributed and planted saplings at every city he halts at, shares that he was very impressed by the greenery in Telangana.
Hyderabad Newsclick here for more Hyderabad News“I crossed so many States, but the Telangana government seems to have done an incredible job of ensuring that the road sides, and even the dividers, are green. I really enjoyed my ride looking at all the beautiful sceneries around when I entered Telangana. I think the other States can learn how to systematically ensure that the spaces around highways can be greener,” he said.
Abhimanyu Singh was in Hyderabad where he distributed over 500 saplings to kids
While in the city, Abhimanyu met other bikers and discussed his journey with them. Even though his mission is getting immense support on various platforms, Abhimanyu had to resign from his job to undertake this 100-day ride, as his employers were not ready to give him that long holiday. So passionate is Abhimanyu about this mission that he even missed the first birthday of his younger daughter as he had to complete this ride. “I spent that night outside an Army Guard Room. I felt very bad that I missed her birthday, however, I am sure that when she grows up she will be able to understand her father”s journey,” shares a smiling Abhimanyu.
While it was very adventurous, his ride was not always safe or easy. Sharing how he once fell off the bike in the hilly terrains of the seven sisters, Abhimanyu says, “I was in Manipur. Due to the bad conditions of the road, I lost balance and the bike fell on me. It was a heavy bike and I knew I couldn”t lift it. Manipur being a quiet State, there were very few vehicles on the road.
After several minutes, I saw a car approaching me. While they stopped the man inside was hesitant to help, but he later gave me a hand. However, I have to add that this journey connected me to various amazing people in the biking community. That overshadows all other inconveniences.”
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