Date:23/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/03/23/stories/2007032318930200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Pedalling for a cause: 3,515 km and counting

Sandhya Soman

S. Sanjeevi on the last leg of his cycle expedition. — Photo: S.S. Kumar

It has been 50 days since S. Sanjeevi left his home on a bicycle. He has pedalled through the four southern States distributing leaflets on the importance and necessity of inter-linking of rivers.

"I have covered 3,515 km so far," says Mr. Sanjeevi, a resident of Ammayarkuppam in Tiruvallur. The effort is showing. His green tracksuit has faded and his knees are aching at the end of his expedition that covered Puduchery, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Nellore. "I don't mind. If we can share water with Pakistan, then why not between Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu?" he asks.

This is not the first time he is cycling for a cause.

"When actor Rajkumar was kidnapped by forest brigand Veerappan, I travelled from Bangalore to Chennai to meet the chief minister and convey the concerns of Tamils there," he recalls.

That was when he was a resident of Bangalore city. The next time, he went around the country campaigning for `peace.' And now, water.

But now the 40-year-old says he is thinking of winding up the show. "I don't think I can afford to go out on another expedition. I have two children. I need to spend time with my family too," says Mr. Sanjeevi.