Punjab Cycle Yatra - As I turn 35, I am cycling 350 km to support Youth Development & Primary Education in Punjab

On the last day, we started from Chone and Batala and covered nearly 50 km to reach Amritsar. We had started early at 8 and reached Golden Temple by 1. It was also our fastest ride. As we came closer to the destination, we felt stronger to keep going. 

It was an emotional day. Being on the road for 7 days was full of self-exploration, understanding Punjab and connecting with people. At some point yesterday, all the historical trends and futuristic predictions that my mind was continuously analysing stopped making any sense. It was just about being in the moment, feeling all the feelings, and letting go of everything else.

Starting the day at a time when children are going to school means you are going to meet a lot of smiling faces. Despite a government school within walking distance, many narrow village roads were jammed with private school buses. When parents don’t feel empowered to challenge the teachers, they change the buildings where their children go. We keep creating infrastructure for more schools without trying to fix the problems in the learning process.

The fields that we saw over the last two days were also different. A lot more area was dedicated to growing vegetables, and there were many fruit orchards. It was a refreshing change after seeing endless stretches of rice cultivation everywhere. Potatoes and Peas were the most prominent crops.

At the Golden Temple, Gurjit, Tarundeep and Anurag from our Sanjhi Sikhiya community came to welcome us. The joy of meeting familiar friends after a week of connecting with new people is like a homecoming. There was an excitement of completing another Yatra as well as immense gratitude for all that we received on the way. As we meditated together, I was filled with a sense of serenity. We had worked hard to reach here, but it felt effortless. For a few moments, I could feel the journey and the destination to be one. 

We loaded our cycles on a bus to Chandigarh and reached our homes post-dinner time. Completing this Yatra felt like a process of renewal. I realise that our life is much like the Yatra we undertook. We don’t know much, yet we hide behind the comforts of certainty and pretence of knowing. I came back with greater awareness and a stronger intention about the life I want to live and the world I wish to create. 

On the Yatra, we used to end every interaction with ‘Rab Rakha’ - loosely translated as ‘May God Take Care’. When Inder, Gurpreet and I parted, we said the same to each other. Still immersed in immense gratitude, I repeated the same to myself as well.

Day 7: Total Distance Covered - 340 km, Funding Goal - 34,00,000, Funds Raised - 1,30,200

If you would to support our efforts at Sanjhi Sikhiya, you can donate here - bit.ly/CycleYatra

We started from Beas and cycled till Gumana in Gurdaspur district to spend some time with our friends. This detour also took us to to Chone village in Batala where we explored an old haveli in the village. In the evening Inder taught Kabbadi to the children while Gurpreet and I interacted with young people there and documented their stories. We rode around 35 kms and cycled for 3 hours. We are now less than 50 Kms from our destination.

Going slow allows for more serendipitous connections within ourselves, with each other and with the landscape and people around. This connection feels immensely satisfying and we more energised at the end of the day even after exerting ourselves over long distances. We also developed greater stamina, increased our appetite and maybe also gained weight!

As partners on the journey, I also see a shift in how we are nudging and pushing each other’s limits in a friendly way. Mutual growth is being a reflective mirror to each other while delving deeper within ourselves. We all have our peculiarities that are comforting or irritating to people around. Learning to share the effects we are having on each other sincerely yet lightly is a big thing I have learnt from my fellow yatris. 

At Ghumana, we interacted with young students at the school started by Kawal and Pahul. They are both are part of our growing community of  passionate educators in Punjab. Their classrooms clearly reflected their perseverance and creativity. Students studied in mixed age groups, made their own schedule for the day and solved their problems together. It was a refreshing change to witness a classroom where expressions were full of  joy, empathy and curiosity.

At Chone, our next stop, we discovered a nearly 150 year old grand monument. While the building stood strong despite the neglect, the story of its origin and importance seem to have been lost. We heard different accounts most of which were hard to believe for me. This is true in many other ways in Punjab. Partition has separated not just the land, it has also broken lineages and spoilt the legacy. Even I have no imagination of my family history from pre-partition times because my grandparents could never recover from the loss and hence never shared their stories with me. 

Oblivious of the historical factors, the haveli ground now is a vibrant place where children and young adults from nearby villages come to play sports every morning and evening. We couldn’t meet the coach but it was obvious that his leadership was having a significant impact in the region. We have seen many such sports, music and readings initiatives which are being led informally by a local and kept alive by the participants themselves. As we left the ground late in the evening, everyone came together and wished us goodbyes. It was probably our best moment of the whole yatra. 

While I am nearing the end of this exploration, I urge to continue supporting Sanjhi Sikhiya. 100% of your funds will go towards developing young people as leaders and transforming the primary education system. 

If you'd like to contribute to this effort please follow this link - https://bit.ly/CycleYatra

Day 6: Total Distance Covered - 293 km, Funding Goal - 29,30,000, Funds Raised - 1,27,700