The journey begins from Kanyakumari and ends in Ahmedabad. But this is no ordinary journey - it is a journey for a cause. It is also unique as it is a marathon with a difference. We are talking about the Rickshaw Run from December 10 to December 21, being organised by SEWA UK in aid of Cochlea Pune, a charity supporting congenitally hearing impaired children.
SEWA UK, based in Birmingham, is comprised mainly of members from the Indian community who believe in Selfless Efforts for the Welfare of All.
The Rickshaw Run too, is their venture in a bid to raise £250,000 for the Cochlea hospital and rehabilitation centre for children.
On December 10, 90 riders from United Kingdom, America, Australia, New Zealand and India, set off on this unique auto rickshaw journey, covering 2700 kilometers in 12 days. These volunteers arrive in Thiruvananthapuram from where they proceed to Kanyakumari, the starting point of the run.
Riders will be split into teams of three who will then travel in 30 rickshaws along the lengthy route,planning to cover approximately 250 kilometers on each day. What is remarkable is also that the riders have all paid their way, including stay, food and the petrol for the rickshaws on the run! Participants have also paid for the rickshaws themselves so that all the money raised can go directly to the cause.
The initial call for riders was put out in November 2018 and by January of this year there was a wait list with all riders having paid their costs for the trip.
Krishan Attri, from Birmingham, is one of the participants in the run and is also an active member of SEWA. He is a veteran where marathons go, having covered 82 so far and planning to make it to108 during the next year. “They are all in aid of some needy cause and it is my way of giving back something to the society that has given me so much,” says Krishnan.
Over thirty years ago, he had arrived in Birmingham from Himachal Pradesh, practically a fresher, to serve as a priest in the Hindu temple in Newcastle.
From mastering the English language, to playing a proactive role in the Indian community, Krishan rose up to become the Hindu chaplain for combined forces of the army, navy and air force, in the UK's Ministry of Defence.
"This is the first time that SEWA is doing a rickshaw run. All duties related to its planning and execution have been delegated. I will be looking after the fundraising, mainly," explains Krishnan.
Starting from Kanyakumari, the places that the group will halt at the end of each day are Madurai, Coimbatore, Mysore, Shimoga, Hubli, Goa, Kolhapur, Pune, Keshav shrusti, Vapi and Vadodara, to end at Ahmedabad.
