BANGALORE: A well-to-do doctor of Urology based in the United Kingdom has flown down to India to cycle from Kashmir to Kanyakumari — all for a noble cause. Meet Dr T V Sheshagiri, who was in Bangalore after having cycled from Srinagar. Representing Sanjeevini Trust, a charitable trust, Dr Sheshagiri’s idea is simple — to create awareness.The point of this cycling exercise is to raise awareness amongst people about chronic diseases, which are blood pressure, diabetes and obesity leading to other fatal attacks. “The World Health Organization has called India the diabetes capital. It is not a proud thing. So my message is simple. Make a little changes in your lifestyle,” said Dr Sheshagiri at a press conference in Bangalore. The journey was flagged off from Srinagar three months ago. Throughout the sojourn, he would talk to random people about various health risks related to diabetes and others. “On an average, I would bump into 150 people a day during my eight to nine hours of cycling. The idea here is to raise awareness about prevention, than cure,” he said. He added that raising funds for such noble initiatives is important. Sanjeevani Trust has undertaken this initiative to stress on how chronic diseases can be prevented by regular physical activity and simple lifestyle changes. Such awareness workshops were held en route at Jammu, Amritsar, Jallandhar, Ludhiana, Ambala, Delhi, Jhansi, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Kurnool and Bangalore. Popular Tamil actor Vikram, the youth envoy for UN Habitat Programme, was present at the press conference. A supporter of this initiative, he said, “As an actor, I am doing by bit to the society. People have to make lifestyle changes if they want to be fitter,” he said. He added, “As actors, we have it easy as we have a platform to voice our opinions. It is important for me as an actor to do things like this, as it will be replicated through my fans,” said Vikram. So what after Dr Sheshagiri reaches Kanyakumari? “Well, I am not cycling again,” he laughed. However, he said that initiatives by Sanjeevani Trust would continue. “I want to continue working for the Trust, mainly fund-raising. I organise cricket tournaments and other events back in the UK for such initiatives,” said Dr Sheshagiri. The cycling awareness programme also involves cataract camps and operations. “We have conducted eight cataract operations so far. In our camps, we let go of those with mild cataracts. But in cases of advanced cataracts, we offer operations,” said Dr Sheshagiri. His team will leave to Kanyakumari on Monday.
Comments
0 comment