Date:05/05/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/05/05/stories/2007050517650200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

A man battling against eight issues

Staff Reporter

ON A MISSION: Bageecha Singh at Cubbon Park in Bangalore on Friday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Bangalore: He presents an arresting sight. Laden with luggage and a huge banner floating above him, 70-year-old Bageecha Singh from Panipat, Haryana, is on a one-man army battling with his eight quarrels with the world.

Spotted near the Vidhana Soudha, Mr. Singh claims to have trekked over 3.5 lakh kilometres over the past 11 years, covering the length and breadth of the country to propagate his message to the youth.

He does not believe in shouting out his message; his banner says it all.

In broken English and fluent Punjabi, he says he set out on February 22, 1995, from Kanyakumari to create awareness among people, particularly youth, on eight issues — closure of gutka companies, protecting oneself from AIDS, curbing child labour, ban on private tuitions by teachers in government schools and colleges, ban plastic carry bags, stop cutting of trees, keeping sports and politics apart, and abolition of child marriage.

Clearly, it is a long haul because he says he will not rest till he achieves his goal. Carrying an 80-kg load of assorted luggage, Mr. Singh, who is on his 10th "yatra" around the country, says he had earlier travelled from Kanyakumari to Siachen. In fact, this is his third visit to Bangalore. Earlier he had tried to meet Dharam Singh when he was Chief Minister to no avail. "But I met the Governor," he says.

So how long will he continue, considering most people his age would have hung their boots? Pat comes the reply: "Till the gutka companies are closed."

No one has sponsored his marathon enterprise but Mr. Singh has no problems with it, as people en route have only been helpful to him. "I sleep in lodges and eat where I can," he says.