Dehradun: “The brutal rape and murder of a veterinary doctor in Hyderabad shook me to the core. The horrific crime took place just 50 kilometres away from my home. I was extremely disappointed and thus, I decided to cycle across the country with the message of — say no to rape,” said Hyderabad resident Chandrakanth Hodepally (aka Chandu), who reached Uttarakhand on Sunday.
The 20-year-old youth started his journey on January 1, 2020, and after two-and-a-half months of cycling, he has covered several states including Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and now Uttarakhand. Chandu has also cycled across Jammu and Kashmir.
“I plan to cover the north-eastern states next. I will go there via Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar. My 30,000 km long journey will conclude at Kanyakumari. I hope to complete the journey by July, 2020. I have cycled for more than 10,000 kilometres,” said Chandu.
When asked about funding of his journey, Chandu said, “This journey has been possible because of crowd funding. Those from cycling community have helped me a lot. People whom I meet during my journey offer me food and money. I spend my nights at petrol pumps, Gurudwaras, or just camp somewhere.”
On his experience in Uttarakhand, Chandu said, “People of Uttarakhand are very friendly and supportive. I was offered food by a man who owns a mobile eatery in Dehradun. I will stay here for another couple of days before heading towards UP.”
On being asked if he would cut short his trip due to Covid-19, Chandu said that he would not culminate his journey but avoid going into cities where foreign tourists come in large numbers.
Chandu feels that his journey would make people more aware of crime against woman. “I notice that women, who face molestation, are often made to keep silence. Instead of putting restrictions on girls, our society must punish the predators,” said Chandu.