Bhubaneswar: An ace cyclist from Rajasthan, Narpat Singh Rajpurohit Langera, pedalled his way to Odisha with an aim to complete the world’s longest single cycle journey of 31,000 km while spreading awareness about the need to protect the environment.
He entered Odisha on January 27 from Berhampur after cycling through Palasa in Andhra Pradesh. Starting his nationwide journey ‘Cycle Yatra’ from Kashmir on January 27 in 2019, Narpat has so far covered 26,707.6 km across 18 states and 4 union territories. Passing through the Pilgrim Town of Puri, he reached Bhubaneswar on February 1, 2022.
In cities and villages en route, Narpat donates saplings for free to the locals. “I either plant the sapling at a site, where it would be taken care of like schools, office premises or gardens or give it to responsible locals who would nurture it. The saplings are of fruit-bearing plants. I have planted two saplings each in Berhampur, Puri and Bhubaneswar,” the cyclist, who is eyeing to find a place in the Guinness World Records, said.
During his journey, he has so far donated over 90,000 saplings in different states.
Despite having 38 stitches in one leg and 10 per cent disability, he has accepted the challenge of completing a record-setting journey on cycle for the sake of the environment.
Back in his village near Barmer in Rajasthan, he developed many water harvesting pits and saved hundreds of animals like deer, Chinkara, peacock, rabbits, Nilgai, owl and jackal. He had dug up 21 water pools for the benefit of wild animals during summer. Not just that, he has made it a ritual in his family to donate saplings as dowry in weddings. “I gave 251 saplings to my sister and 151 to my niece as dowry”, he claimed.
Narpat’s journey was affected due to the pandemic. “I was stranded in Hosur for about seven to eight months due to the nationwide lockdown. I took shelter in a factory,” he said.
As per the norms of the Guinness World Records, Narpat is allowed to rest for 14 days at a stretch. “Initially, I used my own savings for the journey. Later, a voluntary organization came to my support. The locals help me arrange shelter and food. I ride during the daytime only. During the daytime, I am on a liquid diet and take only dry food items. I have heavy meals at night,” said Narpat, whose cycle is fitted with a GPS tracker. He also undergoes police verification at each city or village he visits. He also carries a log and witness book to authenticate and document his journey.
Popularly known as the ‘Greenman of India’, Narpat will leave for West Bengal from Bhubaneswar. Thereafter, he will head for the north-eastern states after passing through Jharkhand. Finally, he will visit Gorakhpur to take the highway leading to Jaipur—where he plans to culminate his journey—via Agra.
It will take him about three to four months more to complete the mission if everything goes as planned.
