Kolkata woman pedals through valleys to spread save greenery msg

KOLKATA: As the entire country grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, Kolkata’s Madhabi Sarkar has embarked upon an awareness bicycle ride on protecting the environment through water conservation and saving trees. With bare necessities, Sarkar set out on the long road from Chandigarh on Friday to pedal across Simla-Manali-Leh and finally Ladakh to spread the ‘Save Trees Save Water’ message.
So what prompted her to take up the tour? “Over the last one year, I have seen, how the price of an oxygen cylinder has gone up. People died due to scarcity of oxygen in hospitals. Considering the situation, people should be more cautious about keeping the environment pollution free. For that they need to plant more trees and save the existing ones,” Sarkar said.
This isn’t her first tour. Sarkar had travelled to Bhutan alone in 2019 for the same cause. The nature lover was also part of a tour to Kaziranga for the ‘Save the one-horned Rhinos’ project.
The 32-year-old is also a single mother and her nine-year-old son is her biggest strength. “I have a wedding photography business but that is only to help me and my son survive since my separation. Cycling is my passion and my son is my biggest motivator. I will be leaving him with his grandmother while on the trip,” Sarkar added.
She informed that it was because of her friends that she could get ready for the tour. “This tour is partly self financed. Rest of the funds have been sent by my friends. Others have packed dry food items for the trip. One of them even made a mobile powerbank for me,” she said.
The road is not an easy one, but Sarkar is determined to conquer the shifting landscapes. “I am carrying a tent with me so that I can save on hotel cost. It is a tough journey but I think I owe it to mother nature,” she added.
However, Sarkar is not sure of the length of her tour. “I don’t want to restrict myself to a particular time frame. On my return trip, I have plans to travel via Jammu & Kashmir and Kedarnath. I might use the cycle throughout the return journey as well,” she added.