Warangal Boy's Cycle Yatra to Spread Covid Awareness

A youngster who lost his father to COVID-19 last year has decided to pay a fitting tribute to his father in an innovative manner by embarking on a cycle yatra aimed at educating people on precautions to be taken to avoid contracting COVID-19 and emphasising the importance of making cycling a part of one's lifestyle to stay fit and healthy.

Dagara Ranjith Kumar (30), a resident of Girmajipeta in Warangal city, began his adventure to travel the length and breadth of India in April of 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," said Ranjith, a postgraduate in the pharmacy. 

Ranjith Kumar, inspired by actor Sonu Sood's charity effort during the peak of the COVID-19, resolved to resume his journey and dedicate it to the renowned actor. Ranjith drove through Fatula top, the highest point on the Srinagar-Leh route at 13,479 feet. 

"Recently, as part of my second phase yatra, I travelled to Ladakh via Srinagar from Manali. It took me eight days to get to Ladakh. However, I would have died from low oxygen saturation levels and freezing temperatures if I had stayed on a hill throughout the night due to high altitude. I did, however, make it through. On the other hand, some people hurled insults at me and nearly thrashed me during my yatra in Kashmir valley because I was waving the Indian national flag. But I escaped unharmed," Ranjith explained his experiences. 

Meanwhile, Ranjith travelled in Mumbai on August 31 through Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan to meet Sonu Sood. "He wasn't at home on Tuesday, but his office assistants called him and informed him of my visit. Sonu Sood, who was in Hyderabad at the time, flew to Mumbai on Thursday to respond. As a result, I'll be able to meet him on Thursday. "I informed him I was dedicating my yatra to him for his outstanding service," Ranjith said, adding that he will ride back to Hyderabad via Lonavala hill station.

Meanwhile, during his yatra, Ranjith launched the YouTube channel ‘Ranjith on Wheels,' which has 66.3k subscribers, and his Instagram account ‘ranjithonwheels,' which has 1,598 posts, has 79.7k followers.