6,553 km of CISF Vande Mataram Coastal Cyclothon culminates at Kochi
Marking 6,553 km of unity, vigilance and national resolve, the CISF Vande Mataram Coastal Cyclothon-2026 concluded on Sunday in a grand ceremony at Kochi, bringing to a close a transformative 25-day journey of India’s eastern and western coastlines.
The valedictory ceremony was graciously attended by Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Minister of State for Home Affairs, and Praveer Ranjan, Director General, CISF, along with senior officers from CISF. The occasion was further dignified by the presence of distinguished personalities from the film and sports fraternity, including Malayalam actors Jayasurya, Major Ravi, and Vijay Babu, actresses Miss Prayaga Martin and Miss Manasa Radhakrishnan, former Indian footballer and Padma Shri Arjuna Awardee IM Vijayan, Indian Badminton Coach Joy T Antony, and noted music composer Rathish Vega.
The cyclothon, which started on January 28, 2026, has now culminated in a nationwide movement that united coastal communities, youth, women, fishermen, sister security agencies, industry stakeholders and civil society under one powerful theme: “Surakshit Tat, Samridh Bharat” (Secure Coasts, Prosperous India).
Commemorating 150 years of the iconic national song Vande Mataram, this edition of the Cyclothon was conceived as a tribute to the spirit of unity, courage and collective responsibility that the song has embodied since India’s freedom movement. Over the past 25 days, 130 CISF cyclists, including a historic 50 per cent women contingent, pedalled not just across terrain but into the hearts of coastal India, carrying forward a message of participative security and national pride.
According to a CISF press release, traversing nine states and two Union Territories, the Cyclothon connected historic ports, bustling industrial hubs, fishing villages and tourist beaches-highlighting the centrality of India’s
7,500-kilometre coastline to the nation’s economy and security. With over 250 ports handling nearly 95 per cent of India’s trade by volume, coastal security is inseparable from economic prosperity and energy resilience.
