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Lt Com Manoj Gupta on his Bicycle Mission from Kashmir to Kanyakumari makes a Pit Stop in Mluru

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Alfie Dsouza, Team Mangalorean.
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Lt Com Manoj Gupta on his Bicycle Mission from Kashmir to Kanyakumari makes a Pit Stop in Mluru

  • Lieutenant Commander Manoj Gupta of Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kannur-Kerala is on a mission on his bicycle from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to spread awareness about Armed Forces Flag Day

Mangaluru: As an Indian, do we know when the country celebrates its Armed Forces Flag Day or the Flag Day of India? Do we know what the day is celebrated in India for? Sadly, most of us are not aware of it. But, there is one Indian out there who wants to ­­raise awareness about this significant day on his bicycle. Lieutenant Commander Manoj Gupta of Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala is on a mission on his bicycle to spread awareness about Armed Forces Flag Day. He aims to raise funds for the widows of Jawans, families of Jawans who died on duty and those Jawans who have become disabled on duty. On Sunday, 8 July he made a stop in Mangaluru on his way to Kumble, at the Tack and Trail Cycle Shop at Ballalbagh, Mangaluru, where he interacted with the media personnel and narrated about his journey and his mission.

To begin with, The Armed Forces Day is a day dedicated to India towards the collection of funds from people of India for the welfare of the Indian Armed Forces personnel. This day is observed annually in India on December 7 since 1949. Over the years, it has become a tradition to commemorate this day as an honour to the soldiers, sailors and airmen of India.

The 30-year-old lieutenant commander is a native of Mumbai, who started his solo cycle expedition from Khardung-La pass in Leh in Kashmir on June 6th 201,8, where the expedition was flagged off by Colonel Satish Sharma, commandant of Ladakh scouts regimental training centre, Leh, and he plans to complete the expedition on July 16th, 2018 in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, thereby covering a distance of over 4,000 kilometres. When asked if he was into cycling before starting this trip? Manoj replied saying that before setting out on this expedition, he had practiced cycling for nearly 4 months. Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Manoj said “I wanted to cover one end of India to the other on the bicycle to carry my message. I am so proud to be part of this solo mission. After obtaining permission from my Naval office, where I am a trainer, I first practiced cycling for nearly four months before starting my voyage.”

“I cycle for around 100-140 km daily, and in each place where I stop I look for Sainik Rest House to spend my night, and if there is no Sainik Rest House I stay in a lodge/hotel. Until now my journey has been a smooth ride, and I did not face many difficulties despite some harsh climatic conditions during my travel. It was snowing when I begin my journey, then I had to go through the hot climate in some parts of the country, and in the South, I faced the harsh monsoon condition. But I braved through all these, and I hope I would be successful in my endeavour. People have been so cooperative in all the places I have traveled. I received a warm welcome by the management of Track and Trail Cycle shop in Mangaluru, and I find that Mangaloreans are friendly and courteous.

Technical support for Lt Com Manoj’s expedition is being provided by TI Cycles of India, Chennai at their retail outlets enroute, and at all the Track and Trail cycle franchise shops. This humble vehicle has surely the power to spark a change. Team Mangalorean is proud of India’s Navy Officer Manoj Gupta and wish him all the best for his endeavor!

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