Bangalore 2nd Jan 2023: Dr Kiran Seth, 73 year old Founder of SPIC MACAY, Padma Shri awardee and former Professor Emeritus I.I.T.-Delhi is cycling from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. He started cycling on 15 August 2022 from Srinagar and is expected to reach Kanyakumari 6 months later on 14 February 2023. He enters Karnataka via Bagepalli on 27 December 2022, is in Bengaluru 2-4 Jan 2022 and exits via Electronic City on 5th Jan and Hosur on 6 Jan 2023. On the way, he meets students, faculty, principals, educationists, ministers, donors, and media to spread his message. Please see detailed Karnataka schedule.
Dr Seth is cycling to:
- Spread the message that CYCLING is good for health – physical, mental and spiritual and for helping the environment.
- Spread the message of SPIC MACAY, enrol new volunteers and to encourage people to preserve Indian heritage.
- Promote MAHATMA GANDHI’s vision of simple living and high thinking.
He cycles on a basic bike with no gears, no fancy branded accessories and no GPS!! Travelling with limited pairs of clothes and personal items with minimal stuff.
Dr Seth says, that he is able to take up this challenge at the age of 73 years because of YOGAwhich he has been doing since his childhood. Also, he takes cycling as meditation and not just physical exercise. He wants to convey the same message to youngsters about how ability to appreciate Indian culture and Heritage makes him the invincible man that he is today.When asked why he picked cycling and not mountaineering or walking or something else, he said that nowadays cycling is more like a trend among youth rather than an exercise so he is using this trend to attract the youth to make them aware about SPIC MACAY and its purpose to “have every child experience the inspiration and mysticism embodied in Indian and World heritage”. Of course, they will realise the physical and environmental benefits of the cycling.
On India’s 75th Independence Day, 15th August 2022, he started from Srinagar, Kashmir and cycled through various states stopping at villages, small and big towns, meeting different people to spread his message –
Kashmir – Srinagar, Anantnag, Udhampur, Jammu, Kathua …
Punjab– Pathankot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana …
Chandigarh
Haryana – Ambala, Yamunanagar…
Uttarakhand– Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Roorkee …
Uttar Pradesh– Muzaffarnagar, Meerut to reach Delhi on 2nd October – Gandhi Jayanthi.
He then left Delhi to cycle through…
Uttar Pradesh -NOIDA, Khurja, Aligarh, Agra …
Madhya Pradesh – Dholpur, Gwalior, Datia, Jhansi, Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Itarsi, Betul…
Maharashtra – Nagpur, SevagramWardha …
Telangana– Adilabad, Nizamabad, Hyderabad, Kurnool, Pamidi, Anantapur …
He will enter Karnataka on 27 Dec 2022 from Somandepalli (Andhra) to Bagepalli (Chikkaballapur district)
Annexure 1: Kiran Seth in Karnataka
Day, Date, Dep Time | From | To | Kms |
Tue, 27 Dec 2022, 8:30am cycle | Somandepalli (AP) | Bagepalli (Chikkaballapur) | 40 |
Wed, 28 Dec 2022, 8:30am cycle | Bagepalli | Gouribidanur | 43 |
Thu, 29 Dec 2022, 8:30am cycle | Gouribidanur | Kortagere | 38 |
Fri, 30 Dec 2022, 8:30am cycle | Kortagere | Tumkur | 33 |
30 Dec, 11am | Cycle 1.2kms with Kiran Seth from DC office to Town Hall, Tumkur |
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30 Dec, 12 noon | Press Conference Meeting @ Empress Hall, Tumkurpresided over by DC, Tumkur | ||
30 Dec, 2pm | Principals meet at SiddagangaInstitute of Techonology, Tumkur |
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Sat, 31 Dec 2022, 2pm | Volunteers Meet at SIT, Tumkur | ||
Sun, 1 Jan 2023, 2:30pm cycle | Tumkur | Nelamangala | 40 |
Mon, 2 Jan 2023, 6:30am cycle | Nelamangala | IISc, Bengaluru | 24 |
12 noon – 12:30 pm | Press Conference at Press Club, Cubbon Park, Bengaluru | ||
Interviews with media | |||
Tue, 3 Jan 2023, 12noon-1:30pm | Meeting artists& Lunch @ KRG Hall, BharatiyaVidyaBhavan, Race Course Road, Bengaluru | ||
3 Jan , 6:30-8pm | TO BE FINALISED Talk at Bangalore International Centre, Domlur |
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Wed, 4 Jan 2023, 6:30-7:30am cycle | Cycle from Raj BhavantoYavanika,Nrupathunga Road with Youth MP Tejasvi Surya | 8 | |
9:30 – 10:30 am | Principals, teachers, students meet Dr Seth at Yavanika, Bengaluru |
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3 – 4:30 pm | Meet Heads of Higher Education Institutionsat UVCE (University Visvesvaraiah College of Engineering), K.R.Circle, Blr | ||
5:30-7:00 pm | General Volunteer MeetTO BE FINALISED at Army Public School ASC, Victoria Layout, Bengaluru | ||
Thu, 5 Jan 2023, 6:30am cycle | IISc, Bengaluru | IIIT-B, Electronic City, Bengaluru | 26 |
1-2:30pm | Meet corporate leaders/ C-suite members @ IFIM (Institute of Finance and International Management) + Lunch | ||
3 – 4 pm | Meet Heads of Institutions @ IIITB (International Institute of Information Technology) | ||
Fri, 6 Jan 2023, 6:30am cycle | IIITB, Electronic City | Maharishi VidyaMandir, Hosur, TN | 22 |
About Dr. Kiran Seth:
Kiran Seth (born 1949) is an Indian academician and former Professor Emeritus in the department of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (I.I.T.) Delhi. He is most known as the founder of SPIC MACAY (1977), a non-profit organisation which promotes Indian heritage and the spirit of volunteerism. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution to the Arts.
