MANGALURU: Two youths from Punjab in their 20s are on a long tour of India on their tricycles and they intend to create awareness on environment-friendly lifestyles and promote diverse culture of every state.
Gurvinder Singh(26) and Vikas Kumar(22) from Chandigarh in Punjab visited Mangaluru few days ago and took part in Nemotsava(spirit worshiping), watched a Yakshagana show and also a Kambala event.
They started their journey from Punjab in September last year and they document the cultures of different states and promote it through vlogs in Punjabi language on their YouTube channels 'Travelling Vikk', 'Ginda Thali'. So far they have covered 8 states including Karnataka.
"Our stay in Mangaluru was very memorable. People here are very respectful and friendly. We tasted the local food like Idli, Dosa and Sambar. We visited a beach at Padubidri. At the Kambala event, the organizer came to us and explained about the buffalo race. In Punjab, we hold Bullock-cart races and Kambala is a very unique sport. We documented it and the people of Punjab will know about this traditional buffalo race.
Talkinf of some of the toughest part of the journey, they say was to peddle through the ghat section. In some of the forest areas, people warned them to be cautious about tigers. "We usually travel on the coastal border line. We did not see any tigers or any other wild animals. We camp near police stations or dhaba or temples. The Konkan area of coastal stretch in Maharashtra was very dangerous to ride. On an average we cover around 60 kilometers daily."
Gurvinder and Vikas are art and craft teachers at Rupnagar, 30 kilometers away from Chandigarh and also are farmers by profession. "Our intention is to travel by tricycle because it is environmentally-friendly and pollution-free. It is budget-friendly and comfortable for long rides. Our message for the youth of India is before visiting any foreign country, first see this mini-world called 'India'. Nowhere in the world, you will find this diversity. Use more and more bicycles and plant trees for a better future,” says Gurvinder.