“Sports can be a way of life. It creates a bond of love and affection among the teammates that can be unconditional, above self-interest and egoism,” said Deepika Kumari, an international archer and Padmashree Awardee. The novel, “Ride Above the Clouds,” has highlighted the great teamwork and passion that a sportsman holds while carrying out any sporting activities. Cycling teaches an individual to move on in life. There are times when cyclists in this book lose their confidence and decide to retreat. Had there been a little bit of change in the thought pattern and a bit of pessimism would have entered the mindset, in that case, things would have taken a different turn altogether, Deepika elaborated.
The function kicked off with the lighting of the lamp, which was passionately anchored by Vandana Khemka. The Cycle Dost founding members presented the memento to the Chief Guest, Deepika Kumari and the special guest, Murari Lal Meena.
“The author, Sanjeevv Shekhar, has done a good job by writing a story in the form of a novel so that it could be read and understandable by all age groups. Even children, who love sports, can enjoy this storybook. I must appreciate the efforts of the author in converting the sporting event into a storybook. This idea is great and more novels should come out covering various sports activities,” she stated.
The senior IPS officer, Murari Lal Meena, pointed out that the story of Cyclists has been a great learning in terms of friendship, bonding and mutual respect for each other to achieve the mission. It is necessary that the hand-holding and encouragement are provided by the buddy to achieve any goal or objective that you are striving for.
“I have been a part of Cycle Dost for the past few years and I must say that this group is unique that has achieved the mission impossible with their grit and determination. I also appreciate the author for converting an event like this into a wonderful story which is a good combination of information and entertainment,” he said.
The members of the Cycle Dost, Ganesh Reddy, Rajiv Ranjan Tripathy, Sanchit Prasad, Vinay Prabhakar, Kamal Bittu, Dr Udeep Lal and Nipun Jain shared their experiences about their memorable journey. They pointed out that the 10-day journey of the Cyclists in the Himalayas was the reflection of their positive thoughts, passion and determination to achieve their dream. The journey was full of unknown and unexplored adventures, which they enjoyed and are locked in their memories.
The author, Sanjeevv Shekhar, welcomed the guests and narrated the interesting events of the book, which he enjoyed writing as a writer. We were always talking about recording this event, finally, I decided that the best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing and I did it. Several delegates were present on the occasion.