Warangal: A youngster, who lost his dad to COVID-19 last year, has resolved to pay a befitting tribute to his father in an innovative the way by embarking on a cycle yatra aimed at educating people on precautions to be taken to avoid contracting COVID-19 and stressing the need for making cycling a part of the lifestyle to keep oneself fit and healthy.
A resident of Girmajipeta of Warangal city, Dagara Ranjith Kumar (30) started his journey to cover the length and breadth of India in April this year. “My father Ramulu, a practising advocate in a local court, succumbed to COVID-19 in July last year. Subsequently, our family members including my mother, sister and me passed through the most turbulent days of our lives. It took us several months to overcome the tragedy. But I decided to move on and pay a befitting tribute to my father. As a part of this, I decided to take up ‘Cycle Yatra’ and went to Kanyakumari from Hyderabad in April this year. I covered the yatra in 15 days and dedicated it to my father,” Ranjith, a postgraduate in the pharmacy told ‘Telangana Today’ over the phone.
Amazed by the philanthropic service by actor Sonu Sood during the peak of the COVID-19, Ranjith Kumar also resolved to resume his journey and dedicate it to the famed actor. “As a part of my second phase yatra, I went to Ladakh via Srinagar from Manali recently. It took eight days for me to reach Ladakh. But I would have lost my life due to low oxygen saturation levels and freezing temperatures when I stayed on a hill during the night due to high altitude. However, I managed to survive. On other hand, some people had hurled abuses and almost tried to thrash me during my yatra in Kashmir valley as I was flaunting the Indian national flag. But I managed to escape unhurt,” Ranjith told explaining his experiences. Ranjith passed through the Fatula top, the highest point on the Srinagar- Leh highway with an altitude of 13,479 feet.
Meanwhile, Ranjith arrived at Mumbai via Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan on August 31 to meet Sonu Sood. “He was not available at home on Tuesday, but his office assistants called him and told him about my visit. Responding to this, Sonu Sood, who was in Hyderabad, came to Mumbai on Thursday. Thus I could meet him on Thursday. I told him that I was dedicating my yatra to him for his great service,” Ranjith said adding that he would return to Hyderabad via Lonavala hill station on cycle.
Meanwhile, Ranjith has started YouTube channel ‘Ranjith on Wheels’ on his yatra that was subscribed so far by 66.3k people, while his Instagram account ‘ranjithonwheels’ that had 1,598 posts has 79.7k followers.
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