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Journalism of Courage
VADODARA, Feb 21: For five days and nights, 48-year-old Swapan Kumar Mitra8217;s life moved around in circles. Crowds gathered around him and dispersed. Some cheered, others gaped awestruck. Many tossed a coin or two, several came forth with generous donations in cash and kind. Amidst it all, Mishra8217;s feet pushed at the bicycle pedals; cautious not to touch the ground.
8220;Hobby? No, it8217;s all for a living,8221; said his wife Maya. Her husband cycled non-stop for five days at the city8217;s ONGC colony; a programme organised by the Employees8217; Welfare Committee of ONGC for promoting oil conservation.
The grand finale, however, was his two-hour-long samadhi underground. Mitra buried himself inside a pit covered by heaps of mud for two hours and come out unscathed. 8220;He has never felt suffocated. He8217;s a devotee of Goddess Kali; she vouches for his well-being,8221; explains Maya.
Hailing from Dum Dum, Calcutta, Mitra has presently moved base to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Over the past 32 years, he has performed for leading companies such as KRIBHCO Surat, GEB Ukai, IPCL and now ONGC. His personal achievement has been a nine-day-and-night-long non-stop cycling performance in MP. At least once in every two months, the couple sets out to approach company heads themselves carrying along fileload of certificates, appraisals and newspaper clippings besides a photo album demonstrating Mitra8217;s feats.
The earnings are inconsistent. 8220;This show has no ticket, so the spectator decides the performance8217;s worth. Some merely come, watch and go away, others dole out change while the eager ones give a magnanimous amount. It all depends on their will,8221; said Maya.
Mitra8217;s performance concluded on Friday. After resting for a couple of days he8217;ll head homeward. A month later, he8217;ll seek out another sponsor and patiently wait for his life to come a full circle.
