Bicycling for public causes, youth find new meaning (With Pix)

Socially conscious youth in India are hopping on to their bicycles for countrywide tours to espouse public causes, which range from preventing suicides to driving awareness about the rare and debilitating Hunter syndrome.
In the last fortnight alone, Mumbai has hosted nearly half a dozen such "driven" youth who have been cycling up from the south of the Vindhyas to the Himalayan north.
Mysore-based 'tandem couple' M V Santhosh and his wife Akshatha Rao set out from their hometown on August 11 on a 'tandem' bicycle -- which has to be pedalled by the two together-- to reach out to depressed and suicidal children and create awareness about the issue.

The 30-something couple, who earn their living by teaching ballroom dance in Mysore pedalled over 2,000 kilometres to reach Mumbai earlier this week winning adulation and creating awareness along the way in whomever they met up with.
"We gatecrash into schools, colleges and other educational institutions on our way and engage with students and talk about depression and suicide.
"Group sessions can lead to individual sessions and we hope we have been able to prevent some children from taking the extreme step of suicide," says Santhosh.

The duo say they have taken "at least a year off" from their routine and hope to cycle across all the states.

Santhosh says the bicycle helps to establish a quick connect with people and admits that the presence of his wife helps inspire people, especially girl students.
"There are different points of inspirations... At some places, we also show them some western dance moves and once the walls come down, we begin speaking on the subject," Akshatha chips in.
On November 20, another youngster Rahul Kumawat, began a one month cycle expedition to Delhi from Chennai, where he is employed with an auto manufacturer. Kumawat says he hopes to cycle the nearly 3,200 kilometres distance to spread awareness about multiple causes- cancer and blood donation along with the progressive genetic disorder Hunter Syndrome.

He is also supporting the 'Save Arian campaign' launched to support Arian, a 11-year-old boy in West Bengal diagnosed with the debilitating and progressive hunter Syndrome, which decreases life expectancy.
Cyclists have hit on innovative ways, including dipping into personal savings and appealing to locals to fund their rides. Santhosh and Akshatha, however, say they have a very unique model.
"We set out with hardly any money in our bank accounts. We generally don't pay for our stays and look for people to host us. Apart from that, we also take up dance classes to earn some money as we pedal up, which may end up extending our stay in a city," says Akshatha.