New Delhi, January 3, 2023: Delhi-based entrepreneur Gagan Khosla, who is known for his grit and passion to go on long bicycle journey for charity, has touched another milestone by covering 6000+ km across the Golden Quadrilateral to raise funds for Bal Raksha Bharat’s (also known as Save the Children, India) education programmes.
Gagan, who is now 66 years and still loves to be called a young man, began his journey on November 20, 2022, in Delhi, and ended on December 28, 2022, in Manesar, Gurgaon, after a 37-day bicycle journey that covered the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
Amid the coronavirus lockdown, while browsing through news channels, Khosla discerned the threat that the pandemic posed, especially to the learning opportunities for financially disadvantaged children. In response, he decided to test his limits, which he had done previously when he rode a bicycle to travel 4,300 kilometers from Leh to Kanyakumari to celebrate his 60th birthday and raise funds for his former institution, Scindia School, Gwalior, in 2016. His journey was turned into a film titled Hai Junoon. Produced by the EPIC Channel, the 45-minute film tracks Khosla’s adventures from the vast mountains of Leh to the fast-track highways of mainland India.
“It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that I was sitting at home watching the news of people departing from cities for their towns and villages, and that was when I started feeling concerned about what is going to happen to these people, especially children. How many children are going to be pushed toward illiteracy? How is this migration going to affect their future? Who is going to look after the kids who lost their parents? My head was full of these questions, and that was when I decided to do my part for society and our children. I was well aware that I would not be enough to change the fate of all the affected children; however, I also knew that every drop in the ocean counts. Finally, I decided to connect with Save the Children and shared my idea with them,” said Gagan Khosla.
“When Mr. Khosla reached out to us with his idea, we were delighted to see the determination he had to do something for children, and for the nation. Pre-pandemic poverty, gender disparity, overpopulation, and distance from school were a few of the many reasons for dropout rates in India, and the pandemic further added to that. As many as 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in India were impacted by extended school closures. School closures threatened to rob children off a childhood of learning. However, the Central Government brought out various interventions, guidelines and innovative models to reduce the impact of pandemic on education. All relevant stakeholders, including NGOs, Corporates and individuals have come together to support the government in this endeavor, and we stand together to ensure learning continues for all children.” Sudarshan Suchi, CEO, Save the Children
With this journey, Mr. Khosla proved that age is just a number if you have the will and motivation to do something and for him that motivation was to do something for children deprived of basic early education.
