Bengaluru, Jan 11 (PTI) Cyclists going on longexpeditions may be rare but not something unheard of.
However, what makes Pradeep Kumar Miradwal's all Indiajourney on a bicycle different is he is doing it despitelosing his left leg in a train mishap.
Fitted with an artificial leg, this 30-year-old fromRam Lakshman Bazaar in Indore has covered 2,650 km.
Starting from Indore on November 14 last year, hereached Hiriyur in Chitradurga district of Karnatakayesterday.
His cycling trek is to send across a slew of messages---Swachch Bharat- Swasth Bharat, environment conservation,road safety and above all, welfare of the differently abled.
Mirdwal has set a target to cover 29 states in sixmonths and conclude his journey at Indore.
His bicycle does not have a carrier. Hence he has totravel with a 39 kg backpack.
Miradwal says he lost his left leg in a train accidentin August 2013.
While travelling in a jampacked train from Indore toUjjain, somebody shoved him and he was thrown out.
".. Somehow I survived miraculously minus my leftleg." He was operated upon at a hospital in Indore and heremained there till October.
By November, his injuries healed and in December heset his goals.
He got the artificial leg in December and he was "upand running.""I took part in the Smart City Indore Marathon,performed in the 'Dance Indore Dance' and now I am on this allIndia tour."Once he completes the journey, the Firefox company,which gifted him the bicycle, has decided to appoint him asits brand ambassador.
Wherever Miradwal travels, he catches everybody's attention due to his resolve and help comes pouring in.
"The whole country is helping me financially. Besides whatever I have with me, there are people who donate money because they know that this is not just my expedition." The major objective is to send across a strongmessage to the differently abled that cribbing aboutthe disability is not a solution but to finding new ways andstanding up facing all odds will alone help them, he added.
PTI GMS RABN.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.