The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Marathon padayatra says it all

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 07, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Marathon padayatra says it all

S. Harpal Singh

Rana Sangram Singh of UP takes it upon himself to spread the message of Indian heritage

Man with a mission: Rana Sangram Singh passing through Ichoda mandal in Adilabad district.

ADILABAD: His effort for propagating the cause of the mythical Ramasethu may not be equal to the task but the resolve in his persona made Rana Sangram Singh from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh undertake a padayatra from Ayodhya to Rameswaram. “The dismantling of Ramasethu denotes an attack on the motherland. There is need to protect the bridge to save the country”, said the ‘walker’ about his task. Sangram Singh, who turns 39 on January 19, worked for 17 years as a medical representative. He has no political affiliation of any sort and carries on the task as a solo endeavour. He says his interest in motherland had actually been inspired by Jawaharlal Nehru’s book ‘Discovery of India’.

“In Ramasethu I saw an opportunity to serve the country and by undertaking the padayatra I want to awaken my countrymen towards the different kinds of assaults being inflicted on India”, adds Sangram Singh.

Standard

He carries a standard bearing a flag of white, yellow and black colours that stand for the three main human races. “The red coloured circle in the middle stands for Indians who are a mixture of all these races”, he pointed out.

Having started his padayatra on November 22, 2007 from Ayodhya, Sangram Singh had already walked for 1,047 km to reach Ichoda mandal headquarters in Adilabad district on the NH 7. He had taken rest for five days at different places.He just notes down the places he crosses en route with the marking the dates of his leaving them.

“I try to learn about the problems faced by people in different parts of the country on my way to Rameswaram. In places like Chitrakoot and Satna for example, I saw people suffering due to lack of drinking water”, reveals Sangram Singh. “Basically, people across the country are nice. I have always been offered shelter and food wherever I went”, he adds.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh