He may be just 18 years old, but this brave heart aims to achieve what none of his contemporaries can even dream of. Patna boy Faisal Latif, who completed his Class XII, is on a solo cycling expedition since December 2 from Srinagar and aims to end his journey on January 6 at Kanyakumari. All this, to fulfill his dream of spreading awareness on fitness and good health amongst the country's youngsters.
Talking about this 4,000 kilometre-long journey, Faisal tells us, "I've always been interested in adventure sports, especially mountaineering and that's how I conceived the idea of this trip. I've always wanted to spread the message of the importance of fitness and I couldn't think of a better way than setting an example myself. During my pit-stop in Haryana, MP and Nagpur, I even visited schools to speak about the significance of physical exercise and good health."
Latif 's dream however, will not just end with this journey. "It's my dream to climb the Mount Everest one day. In fact, I took up this journey as a challenge so that I could build up confidence for my ultimate goal," says Latif, who aims to be an army officer one day.
Ask Faisal how he gathered the courage to take up such an arduous journey all alone and he admits, "Initially, I was very nervous. But to develop confidence and courage to fulfil my dream of climbing the Mount Everest, I knew I had to do this. Also, I'm equipped with a good map... I'm taking the North-South corridor route which connects Srinagar to Kanyakumari. Everything is going fine till now."
The teenager, who started from Jammu and Kashmir, cycling through Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, MP, Maharashtra and then Hyderabad, is now on his way to Bangalore. "This is surely an experience of a lifetime. It has been great to meet interesting people from different states of our country. The most memorable pit-stops have been Punjab, Nagpur and now the South. People have been very supportive and have welcomed me warmly, which is just hearttouching. In fact, in Nagpur, people treated me like a celebrity and even took me to the famous Sai Baba Mandir there. I'm enjoying the trip and looking forward to Bangalore, my next destination."
However, it has not been a joy ride for this young boy, who covers around 100 kms a day. "I've faced so many challenges. All through my journey, from the North to the South, the weather and temperature keep changing and this has taken a toll on me. Plus, cycling for 100 kms a day, has left me with a dreadful knee pain. But I'm not letting this deter me. I'm wearing knee caps as I have 1,000 more kilometres to complete. And with the support and blessings of my parents and the ones who sponsored my trip — Millennium Public School in Haryana, where I learnt mountaineering — I'll definitely finish my expedition on time."
Talking about the heartening trend of adventure travelling that has caught the imagination of many in the country, Faisal, says, "It's an amazing trend, I would say. Usually, it's the foreigners who are inclined towards adventure activities in the country. It's high time, we Indians catch up."
elina.nayak@timesgroup.com
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