In an attempt to make the world a better place, city resident Akram Ansari, a 24- year-old cycling enthusiast has returned from his expedition Cyclothon 3.0 on October 11. Creating social awareness, Ansari during his journey covered a distance of 6,000 Kms in 49 days across 6 countries.
Flagged off from Ranchi on August 20 by IG (Training) Priya Dubey, the cyclist began his mission in India and has travelled across Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
Founder and chairman of an NGO called Bless ‘n’ Bliss, Ansari addressed seminars at various educational institutions on burning issues like lack of education for the underprivileged children, poor employment opportunities for members of the transgender community and women safety.
During his campaign, Ansari addressed seminars and talks at XLRI Jamshedpur, NIT Rourkela, AIUB Bangladesh, AIESEC Bangladesh and AIESEC Singapore to name a few.
“My mission was not just to cycle across the globe but was also to encourage people to work on these issues. Thanks to popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where I would constantly post updates, people from not just these countries but other parts of the world as well have been very supportive about this cause,” said the cyclist.
Based on his talk at NIT Rourkela, the college has decided to start a training centre for members of the transgender community and provide them with basic training like that of an office assistant or a data entry person.
“The response I received at the various institutions has been very positive and overwhelming. Other organisations have also been equally encouraging and talks for further collaboration are in process,” said the entrepreneur. From cycling in extreme weather conditions like scorching heat to freezing temperatures to torrential rain, Ansari feels that every day was a new challenge. “You realize you are travelling against nature and need to be very strong not just mentally but physically also for doing so. It’s not impossible, if you think it’s possible, you can do it,” he said.
Since the day for the talks at the various universities was already fixed, Ansari recalls that he could not take a break for even a single day.”With the unexpected conditions there were days when I would cover a distance of about 200 Kms in 20 hours.
Owning to the rough terrain and ongoing work of road construction, there were places where I had to lug my cycle and walk for about 130 Kms,” he remarked.
The distance which was to be covered in 22- 23 days had to be crossed in just 15 days. “Since visa on arrival in Thailand is only granted for 15 days that was the time I had to travel across the country and cover 1900 Kms,” he said.
Another major challenge, which Ansari faced was the lack of proper diet in a lot of places. “I can only carry a limited amount of supplies in my backpack, but thanks to my strength training I managed to overcome this as well,” said the fitness freak.
The cyclist also had to trek through the dense forests of Malaysia as cycling on the expressway is prohibited there. “The ride through the forests was not only scary but also increased the distance by about 300- 350 Kms.
At one point I even saw an alligator where as there were numerous wild monkeys all along this route. All alone in a jungle with not another soul around would send shivers down my spine,” he recalled.
Ansari through his expedition is just trying to urge people to come forward and make a small change in the society. “I don’t want anyone to give me a medal or a certificate for my work; I just want to be acknowledged, to be known for my work.
And that is the least the government can do for my contribution in making this world a better place,” said Ansari.
