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Journalism of Courage
This 17-year-old college student has started Cycle-e-thon, a club of people who believe bicycles are the answer to fuel prices and global warming
While the tension surrounding global warming continues to simmer with environmentalists and scientists yet to stumble upon a solution, 17 year-old Mulund resident Yagnesh Katira has begun a local experiment to counter a global concern. Katira, who feels that cycles are the answer to the challenge of bringing down pollution levels, has started 8216;Cycle-e-thon8217; 8212; an eco-club of people who share his passion for cycling.
With a vision to make the city8217;s streets bicycle-friendly, Cycle-e-thon8217;s members have also begun an awareness campaign locally.
8220;It would always irk me that people would prefer to go by their car or hail an auto rickshaw even if they had to go just a few kilometers away. As I gradually began reading more about global warming concerns and the rise in fuel prices, I realised that cycling could be the solution to all these problems,8221; says Katira. A light study schedule during his Class 11 aided Katira to devote his time to conceptualising Cycle-e-thon, back in 2006. Under the aegis of the Mulund Parents Association, after Cycle-e-thon had become a reality, the next step before Katira was to mobilise members.
8220;The first initiative by the club was to organise a cycle rally to disseminate its message. Cycles as a mode of transport are most popular among children and we roped in schoolchildren 8212; they were the immediate target group to be roped in for the rally,8221; says Katira who had personally approached principals of various schools in Mulund seeking their support.
Four schools participated and the rally won Cycle-e-thon many admirers. In 2007, the club organised its second rally which saw 300 cyclists participating.
This year Katira decided to involve the government in his endeavour and has started a signature campaign demanding cycle lanes and cycle stations to boost the use of cycles among citizens. 8220;People feel awkward to be seen on a cycle and feel that a car is a symbol of prestige. However infrastructural development is necessary to change these attitudes. Parents are hesitant to let their children use bicycles as they fear the bad roads with no dedicated lanes for cyclists and rashly driven vehicles would turn them into accident casualties. Hence we decided to voice our complaints and our demands to the Minister for Public Works through a signature campaign,8221; says Katira.
The signature campaign with 2,300 signatures from students, cycle enthusiasts as well as school officials was recently sent to Minister for Public Works Anil Deshmukh and the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai.
8220;While our demands were acknowledged and commended, the officials however confessed that the lane-planning would require detailed planning. They asked us to conduct workshops to generate awareness about the benefits of cycling and we are presently speaking to some schools about it,8221; says Katira, who however confessed that balancing his studies and his passion is a tough job. 8220;I am presently juggling my first year of college and chartered accountancy. But these can8217;t sabotage my plans for a third rally,8221; he adds.
