Karnataka   

On a healthy mission

BIDAR: Bagicha Singh (73) is a man with a mission, trekking the length and breadth of the country to spread awareness among the youth on keeping away from bad habits such as chewing gutkha.

He has been traversing through country for the past 12 years and is on the verge of covering four lakh km by August 14, this year.

His other aims are checking the use of polythene bags; not to encourage child labour; campaign against female foeticide, destruction of forests; ban on cow slaughter and action to prevent private tuitions by government teachers.

A former Forest Ranger in Chandigarh, Mr. Singh is a native of Kurna village of Haryana and a bachelor.

Mr. Singh was in Bidar city en route to Zaheerabad, Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh, when he spoke to The Hindu on Thursday on his endeavour to create awareness among youth.

Mr. Singh said he has been trekking to demonstrate to the youth the need for maintaining good health. “I am 73 years old but have been travelling with a luggage on my back since 1995 to pass on the message among the youth to keep themselves fit,” he said.

Along the route, Mr. Bagicha Singh visits schools and delivers lecture to students explaining on ill-effects of bad habits on their health. “Social work was in my mind since my childhood and embarked upon trekking the country in 1995 to do my bit to reform youths,” Mr. Singh said.

“Along with me, I take tents and materials needed for cooking,” he said.

Mr. Singh said he had never faced health problems while trekking nor has he confronted serious problems.

Recalling an incident, he said: “ Some miscreants stopped me thinking that I was a trader and searched my belongings and later found that I was a traveller. They left the spot without causing harm to me.”

He has kept a record of his meetings with prominent personalities such as the former Karnataka Governor T. N. Chaturvedi, the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the former Nagaland Governor Om Prakash Sharma and the former Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga.

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