Farmers Movement Archive

Kerala: Fr Prasanth returns after ‘Discovering India’

KOCHI: Fr Prasanth Palackappillil, former principal of Sacred Heart College, Thevara, reached Kochi after completing his four-month-long solo bike ride named ‘Discovering India’ on Friday. The students and teachers of the college welcomed him by rallying along with him on bikes from Kalamassery to the college. Fr Prasanth, who retired from the college after 24 years of service as a teacher in April, started his ride on August 10. The drive was to interact with people of diverse culture and spread the message ‘discovering trust, green, peace’. He covered over nearly 22,000 km travelling through almost all states of the country during the trip. The ride was on his old 150cc Honda Unicorn motorbike and each day he covered a distance of around 200-400km depending on the topography of the place he visited. He stayed at churches, Christian establishment and with his old students throughout the trip. “The beauty of India is being destroyed due to non-eco-friendly activities. I could interact with several persons in ashrams, riversides, farmlands, national borders and villages. Throughout the trip I tried to spread the messages on waste management, ecology and even got a chance to interact with farmers, who were protesting in Delhi against the Farm Bills,” he said. Referring to his visit to Kashmir and the north east, he said that issues along the borders raise concerns and peace should be maintained with not only military force but also every possible ways. He even had a miraculous escape from an accident when he fell down from his bike as he dozed off while riding through Odisha.

The Times of India

2021-12-11

Kochi