# Ajayan | Amid the buzz of visitors streaming into Fort Kochi for a glimpse of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the streets pulse with languages, colours and curiosity. Just a short walk from the historic waterfront venue of Aspinwall House where contemporary art spills across old colonial walls stands the headquarters of the Indian Coast Guard. And outside its gates, beside a modest bicycle leaning into the afternoon sun, stands 24-year-old Mohit Shekhawat. In the midst of Malayalam chatter and the cosmopolitan murmur of festival-goers, his Hindi rings clear and warm as he speaks with the staff outside in his mother tongue. His presence feels like a quiet counterpoint to the spectacle against the grand canvas of art and sea.
Fixed to the front of his bicycle is a modest board, sun-faded at the edges yet resolute in spirit, announcing his north-to-south expedition; a solitary journey stitched together by miles of road and a singular purpose - to spread awareness about cancer and the power of healthy living in resisting the dreaded disease.
A small, sun-faded board fixed to his cycle announces his north-to-south expedition: a mission to spread awareness about cancer and the power of healthy living. The disease, he says, is advancing at an alarming pace, and his ride is meant to spark conversations on prevention, early detection and disciplined self-care.
With unmistakable pride lighting his face, this Rajasthani youth recounts how his journey began nearly three months ago at Lal Chowk in Srinagar with a quiet determination to inspire too. Along the way, young boys and girls, drawn first by curiosity towards the lone cyclist and his message, soon found themselves stirred by a larger idea. Many stopped to speak with him; some rode alongside for a stretch. Quite a few, he recalls with satisfaction, promised to weave cycling into their daily routine; choosing motion over inertia, health over neglect.
Asked what compelled him to undertake such a solitary odyssey, Mohit told Metro Vaartha about a loss that altered the course of his life. His father succumbed to cancer when Mohit was still very young. He recalls not only the grief, but the swiftness and severity with which the illness advanced - a suffering he could neither forget nor ignore. From that anguish was born his resolve: to turn personal sorrow into public purpose.
Now he stands in the final phase of his journey. Fourteen States lie behind him, each marked not merely by distance covered but by conversations kindled and promises exchanged. Half of Kerala, too, has already felt the steady rhythm of his wheels. By next week, he hopes to reach Kanyakumari - the land’s end. Beyond that, the road is less certain. He may turn around and return on his bicycle. Or, if goodwill gathers and supporters step forward, he might return by train, cycle beside him.
Throughout his long passage across the country, Mohit has been met with an outpouring of warmth. Strangers have stepped forward with generosity, offering support, pressing meals into his hands, arranging shelter for the night, guiding him through unfamiliar roads. The landscapes may have changed, the dialects may have shifted, but the spirit of the people, he says, has remained remarkably constant. Benevolence has worn many faces; kindness has spoken many tongues.
And what next? He pauses, glancing toward the ribbon of road stretching ahead. The open road will reveal its answer in time.
