On two wheels with a message

Sai Yasodharan R, Vishwanathan V and Senthamizhan, who are volunteers with Thozhan, a social welfare organisation, started their journey at Ashok Pillar on March 25 and will end it on March 28 at the Gandhi statue at Marina beach. “On our first day, we covered several bus stands within the city and ended at Perungalathur. We use a hand speaker when on the road, letting people know the statistics related to road accidents,” says Sai Yasodharan. 

Reports reveal that around 67,250 accidents took place in 2014, most of them due to drunken driving. “Our aim is to tell people that this is a serious issue. The statistics are alarming. Tamil Nadu and Puducherry top the list in the number of road accident cases. The numbers themselves are enough to get people’s attention. But we also make people sign a pledge, saying  that they will not over speed, drink and drive, and obey rules,” he adds. 

The three friends will cover towns like Villupuram, Puducherry, Mahabalipuram and Kalpakkam and ride back to Chennai. The journey has given them the opportunity to meet people who shared their stories with them, stories that tell of the aftermath of an act as thoughtless as drunken driving. “We met a woman in Puducherry, who told us that one of her sons met with an accident as he was drinking and driving. His injuries were severe, but he managed to survive – and has pledged never to drink again.  He has also been spreading the message to all their friends and family,” says Vishwanathan. 

Cycling for four days at a stretch in the heat of summer has not been easy, but they have been covering the distances through the day and resting at night. “On day 1, we rested between 12 noon and 3 pm because of the heat. On the second day, we finished 100 kms at one go,” says Sai Yasodharan. 

The three of them love cycling — they commute to work on it — and have been practicing for months in preparation for this journey. “We did go on long-distance rides for a couple of months prior to setting out on this journey. We covered 100 to 150 km. But this experience is different as we have a task to do. Also, the heat is a challenge. We avoid having lunch and eat fruits instead. Wherever we find a watermelon seller, we stop and eat. This keeps us hydrated,” says Santhamizhan, who, along with his friends, made the most of the long weekend they got away from work to go on this journey. Next, they plan to go on many more such journeys in the future to spread social messages to a wider audience.