66-year man cycles 6000 km in 37 days across the country

Sixtysixyear old Delhibased entrepreneur Gagan Khosla embarked on a mission to cycle his way across the Golden Quadrilateral covering 6000 km to raise funds for Bal Raksha Bharats also known as Save the Children India education programmesHis journey began on November 20 2022 in Delhi and ended on December 28 2022 in Manesar Gurgaon after a 37day bicycle journey that covered the states of Uttar Pradesh West Bengal Karnataka Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu Maharashtra Gujarat and RajasthanAmid the coronavirus lockdown while browsing through news channels Khosla discerned the threat that the pandemic posed especially to the learning opportunities for financially disadvantaged childrenIn response he decided to test his limits which he had done previously when he rode a bicycle 4300 kilometers from Leh to Kanyakumari to celebrate his 60th birthday and raise funds for his former institution Scindia School Gwalior in 2016 His journey was so inspirational that it was turned into a film titled Hai JunoonProduced by the EPIC Channel the 45minute film tracks Khoslas adventures from the vast mountains of Leh to the fasttrack highways of mainland India Bal Raksha Bharat commonly known as Save the Children India is a nonprofit organisation working to improve the lives of marginalized children in India since 2008It was during the COVID19 pandemic that I was sitting at home watching the news of people departing from cities for their towns and villages and that was when I started feeling concerned about what is going to happen to these people especially children How many children are going to be pushed toward illiteracy How is this migration going to affect their future Who is going to look after the kids who lost their parents My head was full of these questions and that was when I decided to do my part for society and our children I was well aware that I would not be enough to change the fate of all the affected children however I also knew that every drop in the ocean counts Finally I decided to connect with Save the Children and shared my idea with them says Gagan KhoslaWhen Mr Khosla reached out to us with his idea we were delighted to see the determination he had to do something for children and for the nation Prepandemic poverty gender disparity overpopulation and distance from school were a few of the many reasons for dropout rates in India and the pandemic further added to that As many as 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in India were impacted by extended school closuresSchool closures threatened to rob children off a childhood of learning However the Central Government brought out various interventions guidelines and innovative models to reduce the impact of pandemic on education All relevant stakeholders including NGOs Corporates and individuals have come together to support the government in this endeavor and we stand together to ensure learning continues for all children says Sudarshan Suchi CEO Save the ChildrenIndia has made significant strides in literacy since independence National Statistical Commission Survey calculates literacy to be 777 per cent in 201718 The United Information System for Education Plus UDISE 201920 for School Education in India records the total children enrolled in schools from primary to higher secondary at 2557 crores as compared to 2538 crore enrolment in 202021 registering an increase of 1936 lakh children However 145 per cent of children at the primary level and 1261 per cent at the secondary level drop out and financial burden is one of the major causes for that On top of that the pandemic worsened the scenario furtherFor Khosla every journey brings new experiences allowing him to meet and interact with new people En route to Chennai while having breakfast he met Dr Thameem Ansari a renowned pediatric surgeon He congratulated Khosla for this incredible initiative of pedaling across the Golden Quadrilateral for this noble cause He invited Khosla to his hospital in Chennai and was greeted by 700800 staff membersKhosla proved that age is just a number if you have the will and motivation to do something and for him that motivation was to do something for children deprived of basic early educationAlso ReadTravelers place wellness among the top travel trends in 2023This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever