T. Govindan Unni, 53, a chartered accountant from Palakkad in Kerala, has embarked on a 28-day, 1,850-km bicycle expedition from Palakkad to Kanniyakumari to create awareness of cleanliness and sanitation in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat campaign.
He has travelled nearly 729 km so far covering Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Kallakurichi, Tindivanam, Sriperumbudur and Chennai and reached Puducherry on Monday.
Plastic-free Sabarimala
Stopping over here on the second leg of his journey from Palakkad to Kanniyakumari, Mr. Unni said, “The purpose of this expedition is to propagate the Swacch Bharat initiative and also to promote a plastic-free Sabarimala. This is the main festive season at Sabarimala and littering of plastics poses a major threat to environment on the hills.”
As many as 200 tonnes of plastics are dumped in Sabarimala and the Pampa River is also heavily polluted. It is our collective responsibility not to litter and keep our surroundings clean, he said.
Mr. Unni is cycling 100 km on an average every day distributing leaflets to people and sensitising schoolchildren on the need for cleanliness and to avoid plastics. There are no sponsors and people have been very supportive and welcomed me warmly at various destinations especially Ulundurpet, he said. After waking up at 3.30 a.m. followed by yoga and meditation, Mr. Unni starts to pedal at 5.30 a.m. clocking 20 to 25 kms per hour and ends at 12.30 p.m.
“I had planned this expedition seven months back and used to cycle from Palakkad to Walayar daily covering a distance of 40 kms in one hour and fifteen minutes as preparation” he said.
He will be cycling through Kanniyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur, ending the expedition in Palakkad on December 28.