To investigate the perils of child labour, an IIT-Kharagpur student today embarked on a marathon 2,500km bicycle ride from Kolkata to Mumbai.

Key Highlights A group of 15 businessmen from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad will collect old bicycles and hand them out, shiny and refurbished, to children from the rural areas around the city whose education is being cut short by lack of transportation.

In the past one month, the group has managed to collect and refurbish around 50 cycles, and aim for 100 within the next month.



PUNE: For adults, cycling is often associated with connecting with one's inner child. But when it comes to children, it is an activity they look forward to and love.

Knowing that bicycles can help children gain confidence and, in many cases, reach places of learning, an enterprising group of 15 businessmen from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have come together to bring smiles to children with their 'old-to-new' initiative.

The group, under the name 'Cause', will collect old bicycles and hand them out, shiny and refurbished, to children from the rural areas around the city whose education is being cut short by lack of transportation.

"There are many people who have cycles lying around in their houses, which they have grown out of or no longer use. We are explaining to such people what a difference even a basic cycle can make to a child's future," said Amit Shah, one of the people involved in the initiative.

People can inform the group about an unused cycle they wish to donate and the group arranges the logistics, repair work and distribution. "We have identified a place in Pune Camp where the cycles can be repaired," Shah said.

The idea germinated when Neerav Shah, a member of the initiative, heard from a clerk in his office that children in his village had dropped out of school because of lack of amenities or funds to travel long distances in buses to reach good schools. "He told me that since he was sponsoring his two daughters' bus fares, they were the only two children going to school. Others could not afford it or their parents did not have time to accompany them daily to schools. Also, most children are undernourished and hence motivation to spend the energy and money on travelling is low. I thought, all children love to cycle. Why not give them their right of way," Shah said.

Their reach and word has been growing through their personal acquaintance groups and WhatsApp.

"We already have a database of students who can take help from gram panchayats and our own verification. We have started creating a list of student volunteers and are looking to tie up with NGOs," said Naresh Parekh, another group member.

In the past one month, the group has managed to collect and refurbish around 50 cycles, and aim for 100 within the next month. The group is aiming to help out 10,000-12,000 children within the next two years.

