Cyclist pedals across India for women’s empowerment

MANGALURU: Aasha Malviya,24, from Nataram village in Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh, as part of her Sampoorn Bharat Cycle Yatra (solo ride) arrived in Mangaluru on December 15, and left the city on Saturday.Aasha visited the School of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, to interact with the students, and explain the purpose of her endeavour. She said that she started her journey, which aims to cover 20,000km on her cycle, from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, on November 1. So far, she has pedalled through Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, and also met the chief ministers of Goa and Maharashtra. “Most people from foreign countries think that India is not safe for women.They have a negative image about women’s safety in India. I would like to send out a strong message of women’s empowerment to the world, and that India is a safe place for women, through this expedition,” she said.A national level athlete and a mountaineer, she said that she pedals for about 100-250km per day. There are days when she has pedalled till 12 am. During the expedition, she visits schools and colleges, and shares her experiences about the journey, and encourages students to take up cycling. She hopes to complete this expedition by September 2023 in Delhi, by meeting the President of India. She approaches the district and police officials at every destination, and they in turn arrange for her accommodation. I plan each day as it comes, she said. In Mangaluru, she interacted with top police officers and officials from the district administration. “My mother Rajubai was a daily wage worker, and has been supportive. She has been an inspiration, and wanted me to do something different. My relative Om Prakash Sharma encouraged and supported me,” she said. A postgraduate, she ascended the BC Roy mountain in West Bengal in 2021. The tourism department of Madhya Pradesh has supported her, by providing her with a bicycle, a GPS and a letter. By about 3 pm on Saturday, she reached Kasaragod in Kerala.