HYDERABAD: Having gone through some tough training ahead of his first posting as an
Army jawan
, 24-year-old Jittaboina Bharath should have rested when he returned to his village in Mahbubabad district of
Telangana for a break last month. Instead, he has taken on a new fight - telling people on the importance of staying fit and building up
immunity
in the midst of the pandemic.
Part of the Madras Regiment, Bharath has cycled nearly 2,400 kilometres across 33 districts of Telangana creating
awareness
on the importance of immunity. He started his journey on April 26 and concluded it on May 9 in Hyderabad. He sees this as a battle he must fight before reporting back to duty on May 25 at Sikkim.
“I noticed that everyone was scared because of the pandemic. Through my actions, I wanted to tell them that by improving their immunity they will be better prepared to fight Covid-19. Battles are all about being ready with the right tools,” said Bharath, who had joined the Army in 2020 and recently completed his training.
He started cycling from Jangoan district, a place from where he completed his graduation and joined Fit India Foundation. On an average he covered about 170 km each day. Bharath said that in every district he used to make a quick stop at the Babasaheb Ambedkar statue to interact with members of the Fit India Foundation and locals and talk to them about the importance of physical activities.
I used to start my journey at 4 am every day and would continue until 11.30 am. Afternoons were dedicated to resting.
The journey was again resumed at 4 pm and is concluded by 8 pm,” said Bharath, a resident of Sadireddy Palli.
An alumnus of ABV Government Degree College, he carried a mask and sanitizer with him and would buy mineral water along the way. “Families of Fit India Foundation took care of my meals,” he added. “I took all precautions in my journey,” he said.
He said that hailing from an economically backward family, he is aware that not everyone can consume nutritious food to improve immunity.
“But we can sweat it out by doing work, yoga, or exercise, which in turn is going to make us physically fit and improve immunity,” said Bharath.