Jul 25, 2024 09:28 PM IST
Arav and his father Dr Atul Bhardwaj will cycle for 13 days from Kargil War Memorial to Delhi’s National War Memorial to pay respects to Kargil’s fallen heroes
On the Rajat Jayanti (25 years since India won the war) of the Kargil war, Arav Bhardwaj, a 12-year-old from Delhi, will begin his 1200km journey on a cycle from the Kargil War Memorial in Kargil, Ladakh on July 26th. Accompanied by his dad, Dr Atul Bhardwaj, a Delhi-based Spine Surgeon, the father-son duo will cycle together while his grandfather, 66-year-old advocate, MS Bhardwaj will follow along in a vehicle to the National War Memorial in Delhi. The standard 8th student plans to make this 1,200km journey over 13 days by cycling over an average of 10 to 12 hours a day.
Speaking to us from the Kargil War Memorial, where he hopes that PM Narendra Modi will flag off his cycle yatra, he tells us, “I have been preparing for this for the last two years and since the last three months, my dad and I have been progressively increasing the distance we can cover to around 90kms a day while cycling with ankle weights on.”
Even though it is an arduous journey ahead, Arav is excited as the three generations come together for this cycle yatra to honour the martyrs who laid down their lives for the country, along with their village folk from Rohtak, Haryana. He adds, “My father has always told me stories of the freedom struggle and India’s war heroes. After hearing about the bravery of the people from my village, I am also inspired to join the defence service when I get older. I have always liked cycling and have been doing it since I was 3. While we have practised a lot in Delhi, this is unknown territory for me. There is a lot of unknowns with the hilly terrain and the weather conditions, too”.
Lending his full support to his son on this yatra, Dr Atul tells us, “Seeing Arav’s passion, everyone from his friends to school and our entire family is very supportive of his journey. We plan on beginning our days at 5am and will try to cover as much distance as possible. We will stay at government guest houses, army accommodation and even roadside dhabas. Once we get to Delhi on August 8, we will pay our homage to the martyrs at the Memorial.”
At 10 years old, he undertook a 2,612kms journey where he cycled for 32 days from the INA Museum Moirang in Manipur to Delhi’s National War Memorial to commemorate the 75th Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and 125th anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
