“A valley covered with snow-capped Himalayan peaks and blue …” A third grader’s love for earthly paradise Kashmir began when he heard the statement somewhere. The desire grew with him every day, and at the age of 13, Ajith Krishna, a ninth-grader, embarked on his dream journey. With his only one bicycle, he set out every day, day and night. The boy reached his destination in just 25 days after covering 4205.32 km, with snow, sun, and wind kneeling before him. He wasn’t running for his dream only but also for many records through that amazing cycling.
Ajith Krishna, a native of ChittoorAnikode, amazed by his trip to Kashmir, is now happy to achieve another feat. He cycled 300 km from Palakkad to Thiruvananthapuram in just 24 hours. This is the first time a child under 18 has cycled this far in such a short time. This tenth grader from Sri Ramakrishna Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore, can reach unseen distances by cycling, is still contemplating his new journeys.
He started his journey from Palakkad to Kashmir on August 15, 2019. The visit was accompanied by a message of ‘Waste Free India’. Ajith’s father, Pranesh, mother ArchanaGeetha, and his brother Ajay Krishna went in the car behind him to take care of him in health problems. The journey was in scorching sun and wind. When he passed the Kerala border, the heat increased, but nothing could stop him.
According to his experience, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab later experienced heavy rains and winds as they entered Kashmir. He covered 180 to 200 km daily. The journey would start at 4 in the morning. “I slept in a tent by the side of the road at night, even in the woods nearby. The family sleeps in the car. It wasn’t easy to even get food and water. Hotels are miles away. Upon entering northern India, the only food was bread and dal. Occasionally I had to eat gooseberry and kiwi fruit to satisfy hunger”- he said.
Within this age, Ajith has won the Asia Book of Records, the India Book of Records, and the Golden Book of World Records for cycling over 4,000 km.
