Pranali Chikte’s solo cycle expedition for social change commences from Thiruvananthapuram

At the crack of dawn on January 1, Pranali Chikte kickstarted something special — a 70-day solo cycle expedition from Thiruvananthapuram to Nagpur with her project, Cycle Chaak, a non-profit movement to make cycling a part of daily life by linking it with health, environment, education, livelihood, sustainable mobility and freedom.

The 26-year-old, a native of Maharashtra, has been at kanthari, an international training centre for social entrepreneurs in the capital city.

Pranali says it was during the pandemic that she took up cycling as a tool for social change. “I had completed my graduation in social work and wanted to see how people were coping with the situation. And I decided to do that on my cycle,” she says. That eventually became a 435-day long journey, covering entire Maharashtra.

“Although the lockdown was in force, I managed to interact with several people, including students. I talked about the need to conserve our natural resources and how cycling can contribute to bringing down pollution.”

Growing up in a family solely dependent on agriculture at Punavat village in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, Pranali says that she was aware of rising levels of environmental pollution. “We have coal mines in our vicinity and the level of pollution is such that our harvest is affected. We grow cotton, soybean, pulses and vegetables. The production is coming down as years go by because of adverse climatic conditions,” she says.

Her sojourn across Maharashtra won a lot of appreciation and she was associated with river rejuvenation programme in the State as well. “As people kept talking about the safety of a woman solo traveller, I wanted to explore the situation in other states as well. That’s when I cycled to Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu Kashmir, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand.” Later she lived in Delhi for a year to study at the Indian School of Development Management in Delhi.

Pranali Chikte
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

“My travels taught me a lot and I started thinking about what I can do for the world. I knew I cannot change everything. But my cycle gave me a new perspective. I started thinking about integrating cycling into everyone’s life for social change.”

Pranali Chikte with students of College of Agriculture in Thiruvananthapuram
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Pranali says that once she had a rough idea about what she wanted to do, she decided to come to kanthari to develop that into a concrete project. “I have my limitations and was on the lookout for a mentor. I found that guidance at kanthari,” she says.

Pranali adds that she has the support and guidance of a strong network of cycling enthusiasts, which eventually helped her to raise money through crowdfunding to buy a new cycle and other equipment required for the workshops she plans to conduct during her journey.

Pranali stresses that she is cycling for “people, nature and freedom”. Cycle Chaak [chaak means wheel] is about how bicycles can inspire change. During the course of the journey that covers the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana, she will conduct dialogues on adapting cycling as a climate-responsible lifestyle. “Besides projecting it as low-cost mode of transportation, I will also impart cycle repairing skills in my sessions. The ultimate aim is to develop a healthy mobility culture among communities,” she says. Cycle rallies and workshops in schools and organisations are also in her itinerary. 2 Wheels 435 Days, a documentary on her journey across Maharashtra, will also be screened at various venues.

Pranali Chikte with students of Carmel School in Thiruvananthapuram
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Her expedition was flagged off on January 1 from Manaveeyam Veedhi by Prakash P Gopinath, Bicycle Mayor, Thiruvananthapuram, and Zeenath MA, SheCycling, Senior National Project Coordinator.