Woman rides across India for female foeticide awareness

A 35-year-old woman rode across 29 Indian states in the past 90 days on her scooter in a bid to create awareness against female foeticide.

Rishika Sahoo rode alone over 17,000 km, to reach out to as many authorities, hospitals, schools, colleges and people she could meet on the streets to spread the message of the Art of Living's 'Save the Girl Child' initiative, a statement said on Tuesday.

Sahoo said during her journey, there were many days when she had to go without food, water and shelter, but she overcame all to achieve what she'd set out for.

"People are not what they seem like. They were all very cooperative and supportive. Yet what goes wrong with these very people when they kill and burn their girl child... We have to find out what is wrong with the thinking of people. Where does it go wrong," Sahoo said here.

"We are not bringing up the boys right in the country. They are not taught to respect women. More than anything, the way an Indian woman thinks can bring the greatest change in the condition of her own kind," she added.

A big-time yoga enthusiast, Sahoo started her countrywide journey from Odisha's Angul on September 14. She ended her journey on Tuesday at India Gate in the national capital.