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Phileas Fogg and his companion Passepartout may have gone around the world in eighty days. But Durga Charan Mishra is planning to go arou...

Phileas Fogg and his companion Passepartout may have gone around the world in eighty days. But Durga Charan Mishra is planning to go around the country in sixty days. At 47, he does not let age stand in the way of his passion. Aiming to set up a national record, the man from Delhi was in Pune recently. And if you are the bike-crazy, travelling kind you will surely envy him. His whirlwind tour is in support of road safety, Help Age India and to promote eye donations. Mishra is a senior superintendent of the Association of State Road Transport and has embarked upon a 17,000 km voyage on his motorbike.

The journey will take him to all the states and with a cause. Mishra is spreading awareness among young children and explaining the importance of donating eyes. Espousing the cause of road safety, the man feels something has to be done. He plans to inform the authorities about the road conditions. Once he gets back to Delhi, he promises to follow it up.

Starting from Delhi on August 13, he proceeded to Kargil to boost the morale of the soldiers. Stretching from Nagaland in the east to Rajasthan in the west and on to Kanyakumari deep south, he has crisscrossed the country. He remembers an incident in Drass. 8220;I had an accident when the brakes failed. Fortunately, the Army rushed first aid.8221; As he says,8220;If there is a will there is a way8221;. That did not dampen his spirits. Driving in Punjab he relates another incident,8220;I was on my motorcycle when a family in their car caught up with me. Suddenly, they passed on a box of sweets. All this was done when we were mobile. This was a nice gesture by the family.8221; says Mishra.

Driving safe is his motto. He starts off at six in the morning and winds up at 6.30 in the evening. From seven to eight in the morning, Mishra visits the schools in the area and speaks to them about eye donation, helping the poor and road safety. He says,8220;I am proud that I have succeeded in doing my bit for the society.8221; He makes it a point to meet at least 300 students.

He hopes to pen his memoirs. 8220;All in all, it has been a tremendous learning experience for me,8221; he continues. One thing is for sure, all his experiences have turned him into a new person, he claims.