Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

"Believe in self to fight against battles of life"

S.S. Kavitha

Malaysian Indian on wheels with message of self-confidence

MEANINGFUL EXPEDITION: David Munusamy Reddie, on his cycle in Madurai. — Photo: G. Moorthy

MADURAI: Neither his age nor his ill health could wither his spirit. Sitting pretty on a cycle, the 54-year-old David Munusamy Reddie, a Malaysian Indian, started pedalling his way to various places in the State that were marked on the route map sketched before embarking on a journey to propagate the importance of self-confidence.

"My message is simple. I stress the importance of centuries-old thought that if there is a will there is a way," said Mr. David, who was in Madurai on Saturday. "Believe in yourself and fight against all battles of life you encounter and win them all."

Working as a technician in a quasi-government organisation, Mr. David availed himself of the annual leave and started his fourth tour `Around Tamil Nadu in 40-days.' Though his tour is more in Tamil Nadu he has also planned to visit a bit of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Mr. David began his Tamil Nadu tour on December 7 in Chennai. From Chennai he moved to Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Chidambaram, Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Thanjavur, Karaikudi and Madurai. After a brief halt in Madurai, he would pedal his way to Ramanathapuram, Tuticorin, Nagercoil, Kovalam, Kollam, Azhapuzha and Kochi. His onward journey will be to Valparai, Cuddalore, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Vaniyampadi, Vellore, Chitoor, Tirupati and back to Chennai on January 16 to board his flight on January 18. The estimated distance of travel is 2100 km. He pedals about 100 to 130 km a day and rests every third day. "I am eager to reach Vellore, which is the birth place of my father, who left the country about nine decades ago," he said. Travelling on a bicycle became a passion for Mr. David when he met a South Korean cyclist who inspired him with adventurous tales. "Travelling unravels a world of knowledge, which he (the South Korean) failed to gain from books and in school, being a drop out at the age 10."

First expedition

His first cycle expedition began in 2001 in Malaysia and Singapore. During the second tour he roamed around South Thailand and a few of the Asian countries, including Cambodia and Laos. To be true to his Tamil origin and to express his love for the language, Mr. David has admitted all his seven children in Tamil medium schools in Malaysia.

Mr. David has decided to spend his savings on travel, as he is not for leaving a fortune for his children that might trigger enmity among them. He has provided them with good education, which is an "invaluable fortune."

Unmindful of his health condition - blood sugar, high cholesterol in blood and heart problems - Mr. David has set out his voyage with a heroic heart made weak by age and time and not by will to gain knowledge and instil confidence.

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