Two Gandhians pedal to spread patriotism

CHENNAI: Pablo Casals, the famed Spanish cellist, once observed that the love for one’s country is a splendid thing. “But why should love stop at the border?” he asked.Breaking the geographical borders to spread the message of patriotism among the Indian youth, two budding Gandhians have embarked on a 2,400-kilometre long bicycle yatra covering six states in a row.“We are pedalling on an average of eight to 10 kilometres every day to create an awareness among the youngsters of our country,” said Yadava Raju of National Youth Project, which is based in New Delhi. “The younger generation is carried over by the Western culture. Hence, building patriotism among youngsters is the need of the hour,” he added. Pande, who belongs to Orissa, is the other person who is a part of this noble cause.The duo began its bicycle rally from Bodhgaya in Bihar on November 22, passing through Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh before reaching Tamil Nadu, a couple of days ago. After a stint in Chennai, they left for Sri Lanka on Monday to continue their bicycle yatra from Colombo to Anuradhapuram for six days. They are expected to conclude their journey on December 27.According to Yadava, who hails from Karim Nagar in Andhra Pradesh, the current bicycle yatra is the second such attempt in two years.