This 60-Year-Old Man Is Cycling 4,000km From Leh To Kanyakumari And Here's Why
60-YO Gagan Khosla is traversing 4000 km across India on a cycle and he needs only 30 days to do so.
Meet 60-year-old Gagan Khosla who is currently on a journey spanning 4000km across India. And he's doing this on a cycle with a 30-day target.
He set off on this journey on 21 September, 2016, from Leh, and is today gearing up to cover the distance from Bangalore to Kanyakumari. The journey was pretty tough from the get go, and in case you thought the hills were hard, Khosla quickly corrects that thought with "the plains are equally tough."
Gagan Khosla
On asking him what drove him to this, he explained, "I'll give you the order." "Firstly, this is my 60th birthday present for myself. Secondly, I'd also like to be able to inspire the youth and possibly help them be more active in sports."
Gagan Khosla
"At this age people think 'Arey yeh toh buddha ho gya' so it'd be great to change that notion too. People spend their entire lives working only to end up on a death bed with regrets; regret over things they haven't done. I though about that and it has since been a long standing desire to undertake such an adventure" he continues.
Gagan Khosla
He goes on to explain, "Yet another reason has to be raising enough funds for a scholarship for underprivileged kids who are unable to study in schools like Scindia School Old Boys Association (SOBA) where I am from. In fact, my colleagues and I are planning to raise Rs 1 crore for this goal."
Taking risks comes easy to Khosla who's an entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist. What only made this easier is the support he's received from his wife, Ishi Khosla a nutritionist and the founder of Celiac Society for Delhi. "Active support from family is important."
Gagan Khosla
It is wife Ishi's field of work that helped him choose the cause for gluten-free diets. "One of the reason why I'm also doing this is to spread awareness about Celiac Disease."
He did share that his initial plan was to climb the Everest but his wife Ishi advised him against it, citing possible health issues that could arise at a high altitude especially considering his age. Is Everest a possibility? "I don't think so," Khosla says. But never say never, right?
Gagan Khosla
Gagan Khosla had a parting message, "I cannot emphasise enough how important exercise is for young people. The sooner you start, the better the years that follow. Just find a way and the time, and exercise."
Tanya Sirohi is the Trending section lead at Indiatimes. She likes to write on a range of topics including viral stories, UFO sightings and exploring life on Mars.
