This Manipur Cyclist Is Feeding Homeless For A Year, Now He's On Pan-India Trip To Raise Funds

In late March 2020, India went into a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The sudden announcement caught millions off-guard and the most vulnerable sections of the society were the most affected.

In desperate times, people went out of their ways to help others in need and that has been one of the few silver linings of 2020.

Philem Rohan Singh

Twenty-four-year-old Manipur cyclist Philem Rohan Singh was one of them, who has been doing his bit to help the needy.

Since the lockdown, Philem who was already involved in charity and humanitarian works got his friends together and began distributing food items to people who have been left with no resources.

And nearly a year down the line he is still doing it, feeding on an average of 40-50 homeless people in Imphal.

Philem Rohan Singh

The group has been feeding the hungry, with their own money and some donations, and a small income from selling Philem's ¡®Cycling for Humanity¡¯ t-shirts.

Cycle expedition across the country

To take his endeavors forward, Philem has embarked on a cycle expedition across India to raise awareness and funds.

"We have been running this campaign for nearly a year now. Initially, we started helping the homeless during the lockdown, and at that time even we had not planned to keep this for so long. We have not received any support from the government or the authorities to feed them. Now we have reached a stage where we need support from others to keep our mission running. That is how I decided to go for a cycle expedition," Philem who collaborated with AlphaVector in this campaign, is currently travelling through Odisha told Indiatimes.

Philem Rohan Singh

Trying to reach out to more people

During his travel, Philem said he is trying to reach out to more people, politicians, and organizations across various cities to raise funds for the poor.

"I also have some 'Cycling for Humanity' t-shirts, that anyone interested can buy. I also plan to sell them during the cycling trip. Other than that I hope to meet wellwishers who can understand what we have been doing and the need to help," he said.

Philem Rohan Singh

Philem who had been feeding the homeless at the Ima Market in Imphal since March said he and his team spent around Rs 4,000 every day from their pocket for this.

"There is no fixed number for the people that we find on the street every day. Some days it will be just 10-15 and another day it could go up to over a hundred. We prepare food for 40-50 people every day and it costs around Rs 100 for one meal," he explained.

Online fundraising campaign

Philem has also launched an online fundraising camping on Ketto and aims to raise Rs 10 lakhs from it.

"We have launched a crowdfunding campaign for this, and the response so far has been good. We have got some contribution and some others have sponsored one day's food etc. But to keep this going we need to spread the word around that is what I will be doing in my cycling trip," Philem said.

Philem Rohan Singh

He, however, admitted that it won't be easy this time as there are a lot of travel restrictions.

"Normally, I would visit schools and colleges in any new city where I could interact with the students there. But this time since most of them are still closed, it is going to be more difficult," he said.

Philem said he will be on the road for nearly two months with this mission and in the meantime, others from his group are continuing to feed the homeless in Imphal, even in his absence.