Visakhapatnam: Pedalling along to spread happiness

Visakhapatnam: Even after pedalling for 502 days, Vishal Tekade brims with enthusiasm to take his mission forward.

With bicycle as his medium, the 22-year-old BBA graduate from Nagpur is on an expedition to pedal across 28 states.

Reaching Visakhapatnam, Vishal says that he wanted to deliver a message to the youth through hisbicycle expedition. "The objective of the expedition is to promote the concept of seeking happiness from within, being emotionally strong and shedding ego. I wanted to convey this to people I come across through my expedition, youth in particular," he emphasises.

Having gone through tough times in his childhood, Vishal says that his mission is to spread happiness. "I started my journey from Nagpur on June 13, 2020. Throughout my childhood I was brought up amid a hostile environment. After going through tough times, my parents decided to part ways when I was in Class III. Two years later, both of them remarried and I ended up staying with my father and stepmother. There were challenges at every phase of my life since then," shares Vishal with The Hans India.

Circumstances did push Vishal into bouts of depression. Fortunately, his chronicling habit nudged him to author a 333-page book 'Reborn Within' and seek comfort. "A day after completing the book, I decided to go for an expedition and start life afresh. I began my adventure with Rs 10,000 in my pocket. However, I decided to let go of the funds when I met an insightful person who runs an orphanage and commenced my journey empty-handed, considering local jobs for a few weeks," recalls Vishal.

Connecting with locals, staying at places of worship, working for a brief period as a waiter to get accommodation and food, engaging in local occupation, the cyclist says that 90 percent of his journey thus far has been eventful. Recalling his tough days, he says, "There were times I slept in a graveyard when the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak as people refused to accommodate me at Pandharpur and Konkan in Maharashtra. I spent the whole night drenching in the rain. On many occasions, I slept on an empty stomach."

However, Vishal was quick to add good experiences as well. "There were fruit vendors and good Samaritans who offered me food and fruits and welcomed me into their homes. Months before, my bicycle started giving trouble in Chennai and I was forced to trek further. When I was trekking towards Coimbatore, a new brand of bicycle was waiting for me as a gift from the guests I served in a resort at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala," he says.

Andhra Pradesh is Vishal's seventh state to explore. From Visakhapatnam, he intends to head towards Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

"There is no time frame set for the trip I embarked upon. It might take three years or so to cover all the States and Union Territories. I am pedalling at my own pace, understanding diverse cultures of India and soaking in the love and goodness that come along the way," he concludes.