Sheetal
Young cyclists from tricity have taken a task upon themselves - of making this well-planned region maintain its clean and green character. With growing traffic on the road, these college or university students are pedaling their way to their destinations despite being owners of vehicles. A thought for the future, for sure.
Udayna Mohindroo, who resides in Sector 37-A, has three cars and a scooter parked at her home, but she still takes pride in riding a bicycle to her college in sector 36. “My mother always wanted to inculcate good morals and values in me as well as my brother. Earlier, my elder brother used to go to school on cycle and I wished to follow his footsteps. Since my school was 20-km away then, I got this opportunity much later. Now, my college falls within cycling distance,” she beams.
Cycle on
Panjab University, Chandigarh, has a group called PU Bicycle Lovers, which began in 2013. Gurjinder, one of the founding members, was pursuing LLM then and is now completing his PhD from the law department! Manoj Kumar Bhobhariya, from Gurgaon, who is completing his first year from the UBS department of the university, enjoys the ride on his Trinx M136 cycle, which has features like 21 speed Shimano gear combinations, 26-inch tires and dual disc brakes.
“I love Chandigarh for creating cycle-friendly paths and green belts, which help the riders to pedal even in the scorching heat. Once I took my bicycle with me till Kasauli and even one of my batch-mates, Deepak Kumar, got inspired and joined me. He is doing an internship in Panchkula and has been offered a motor cycle by the company, but he refused. So, he either rides his bicycle or takes public transport.
Ananya, studying in chemical engineering department of the university, says, “My family had a spare car to give me, but I bought a cycle to commute from the hostel to my department. Over the years, I have extended this route from the Rock Garden, Dhanas Lake, Sukhna Lake, Sector 17 market, Sector 35 to even the Elante Mall. It is just not a means of travel for me, but a hobby that helps me keep fit.”
Responsible choices
Vaibhav Pathak, pursuing Phd in theatre from humanities and social sciences department of IISER, Mohali, informs, “My love for cycling is not new. I promoted cycling while pursuing Masters from Panjab University and even before when I graduated from DAV 10. IISER has a cycle-friendly campus and cars are not allowed; every student is encouraged to make healthy and responsible choices. I have a car as well, but it is only to commute to my home in Una, Himachal Pradesh.”
Abhijot Bhatoa, who is pursuing a certificate course from the PU Urdu department, reduced his weight ever since he started cycling. “After shifting to Kharar in 2012, I started cycling almost 30-km each day. It helped me greatly and now it is my hobby. It is just like meditation.”
So, are you ready for a joyride?
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2VvXXcs
via Today’s News Headlines
No comments: