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| Go MAD Cycling Tour to Gudalur - just after crossing the Kaveri river |
Day 2, March 8th, 80kms
Malavalli to Chamarajanagar
Overnight, Dr Mahesh (an Ayurvedic doctor who
divides his time between Gudalur and Bangalore) joined us on his bike,
so we now had additional support.
He biked up and down, between the front and tail support vehicles, and kept the riders supplied with fluids and energy. He even got us fresh sugarcane juice from the roadside jaggery units!
As we were very close to the Kaveri river, there were lots of water bodies on the road side, and we found lots of birds.
He biked up and down, between the front and tail support vehicles, and kept the riders supplied with fluids and energy. He even got us fresh sugarcane juice from the roadside jaggery units!
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| Painted Storks |
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| Heritage home (built in 1923) |
We found someone was staying there, and even got invited to see inside. It was a traditional house with a nice courtyard and a lovely wooden ceiling. It would make a nice eco-resort one day.
We had a late lunch in a field, just short of our destination, and took
rest for a while. Dr Mahesh provided some massage to some of the
riders.
Meanwhile some of the others were busy fixing punctures. I, Nikhil, Naveen and Stephen were generally kept busy during the breaks with punctures and minor repairs.
We rode the remaining distance to Chamarajanagar, where we were staying at KNN Lodge.
All along the route, it was heartening to see that bicycles are very much a part of rural life. People use them for personal transportation as well as to carry all kind of goods.
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| Non-recreational use of bicycles |
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| Non-recreational use of bicycles |
RLHP, Mysore (Rural Literacy and Health Programme)
rlhpmysore.org
rlhpmysore.org
After freshening up, we went to visit a slum improvement project about one km away. The organization RLHP is working on preventing child marriages here as
well as education and health.  |
| Stan doing his magic show |
I showed the kids and others how to make
Newspaper Hats, with the help of the other GoMAD riders, and the kids
really enjoyed it. Stan then entertained them with some magic, and the
kids performed a skit on child marriage.
Later we had a simple moonlit dinner prepared by them, and went to sleep at the lodge.
Read More
Day 2, Malavalli to Chamarajanagar
Non-Profit Organizations working at Gudalur
VIDYODAYA
The
Vidyodaya school currently caters to about 100 children in Gudalur,
which is a small town. They have an option now to build a school much
closer to some of the villages, which would make it possible to reach
many more children. The funds we are raising go towards purchase of the
land for the new school.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
It
was quite inspiring to see all the people who are working on various
issues at Gudalur. These are some of the non-profit organizations, all
working together in the Gudalur area. I did not have enough time to
really understand a lot about each of them during my short time at
Gudalur.
ACCORD - the umbrella organization at Gudalur, working on Adivasi issues.
AMS (adivasi munnetra sangham) - the main organization of the adivasis themselves, which runs most of the organizations.
Ashwini - runs the hospital at Gudalur.
Just Change
- produces tea, spices, soap, etc. and sells them direct to consumers
such as fisherfolk at Nagapattinam. Also provides support and training
for similar community initiatives.
Shola Trust - works on environmental issues in Nilgiris, including wildlife.
Go MAD - Go Make a Difference, set up to organize the cycle ride.
Learn more about all these at http://www.adivasi.net
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