Long-distance cycling is one of the favourite hobbies of Gurugrammers. Across the city, you will find several avid cyclists who cover distances of a few hundred kilometres every day. However, 25-year-old Sunita Chokhen, who lives on the outskirts of the city, has upped the ante by cycling solo for over 4000km from the southern-most point of the country to the northern-most motorable road. The 25-year-old, who lives in a small town in Rewari, an hour away from Gurgaon, undertook this long journey as part of her plantation drive that saw her plant over 200 saplings in several cities in India. The journey also made her the first Indian woman to cycle solo from Kanyakumari to Khardung La, Leh.
Talking about why she started this journey, Sunita tells us, “I’m not a cyclist but a mountaineer. I climbed Everest in 2011 and have conquered 17 other mountains around the world. Earlier this year, I was on an expedition to an unclimbed mountain in the Himalayas when I noticed how much the region had changed. I had gone for my initial recce of that area in 2012 and since then, the region had seen so much deforestation that I felt bad. That’s what compelled me to do something for the environment and the idea of the Kanyakumari to Leh plantation drive shaped up.” On why she chose to cycle instead of using any other mode of transportation, Sunita says, “If I had driven or taken a bike, it would defeat the purpose of an environment-friendly campaign since those vehicles cause pollution. Cycle was the best option.”
Sunita started on her 4656km journey from the southern-most point on the mainland – Kanyakumari – on July 15, and ended it at Khardung La, the highest motorable road in the world, over six weeks later. “It took me 46 days to finish the journey, during which I covered 100-200km every day on my cycle. But more importantly, I planted 220 saplings along the way. I planted some in every city I stopped in from Kanyakumari to Manali. Post Manali, the weather wasn’t conducive for plantation so I stopped that,” she says. Sunita spoke to her contacts and friends in several cities and also made new friends in every city she visited, in order to make sure there was someone to look after the saplings she planted there. She explains, “In every city, I planted the saplings keeping in mind that there was someone to tend after them. I mostly planted them in ashrams, temples, local schools or colleges. Even in open areas, I made sure to get the residents nearby to promise me to water them regularly. The main focus of my journey was not any record but the goal of plantation.”
However, the record landed in her lap acci-dentally. She tells us, “Friends told me that I’m the first girl to cycle from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. I didn’t believe it at first but then I decided to check and it was indeed the case. But since I hadn’t mapped my journey through GPS, I could not apply to Guinness or Limca books. However, I have applied to India Book of Records for a certificate and my application is under review currently. The record is not my goal but a certificate wouldn’t hurt.”
Sunita, who is also the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao ambassador for Haryana, says that she utilised whatever free time she had in each city in trying to speak to the students there. “I would walk up to local schools and colleges, tell the administration who I was and what I was doing, and that I wanted to speak to the students for a short time. Surprisingly, about 80% of the schools received me positively and I delivered quite a few short lectures in several schools along the way. I spoke to young girls about the importance of education, taking up sports, and preserving the environment.”
Sunita started her cycling expedition from Kanyakumari. Here, she’s seen cycling at a place that appears to be in Southern state
Sunita now says that she will return to mountaineering for a while, but she does have plans to revisit all the places where she has planted her saplings a few years on to check on their progress. “I want to give the saplings some time to grow and a few years down the line, I will retrace my journey and see how much they have grown. I am curious to see whether my efforts will bear any fruit,” she says.
Article Source: Times of India