Biker eyes 25,000km milestone to spread cleanliness message

MUMBAI: A 51-year-old bike enthusiast is set to break his own record by covering 25,000 km in less than two and a half months to spread awareness on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.
Interestingly, for Jerry Philips, it is his fourth solo bike trip since 2010. Philips, who is a member of Indiethumper bikers’ group, started his journey from Sion on Sunday on his favourite bullet.He is headed towards Chandigarh and will cover Himachal Pradesh and Kathmandu before moving to the east to Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur. Philips will then go to parts of Kerala and will return to Mumbai via Goa by March end. “I am a small man but am blown away by the PM’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Lots of cleanliness drives have taken place in the cities but I want to convey the message to remote villages and towns,” said Philips.
Philips, who runs a small antique shop at Sion Circle, has been modifying his bike since last December to meet his requirements. “As I will be travelling alone, I am carrying enough tools and personal belongings like a laptop, two cellphones and other things which will help me communicate with my near and dear ones. Though there are still a few places in India where there are network problems.” He said the entire trip would cost him around Rs 5 lakh, including fuel, toll naka and hotel tariffs.
Philips’ daughter (23), though, is upset with him. “Earlier, he had covered distances in the range of 7,000km to 12,500km and would return in a month, but this time its too long,” his friend Mukesh Waghela said.