Mumbai-to-Pandharpur tandem cycle Wari begins with visually impaired and sighted cyclists

Five pairs of sighted and visually impaired cyclists that is 10 in all set off for the MumbaitoPandharpur Tandem Cycle Wari on Thursday morning Organised by the Tandem Cyclist Club the start point of the devotionalspiritual pilgrimage was Shivaji Parkrsquos Samarth Vyayam Mandir The Tandem Cycle Wari will end on July 12Manoj Kataria left in pic with a poster and tandem cycle at Shivaji Park in Dadar on Thursday morningTandem cycles have two seats The front is taken by the sighted person or pilot while the back seat is occupied by the visually impairedblind person Both have to pedal so there are two sets of pedals on the bicycle The distance to be covered was 450 km Excitement met enthusiasm and guts mixed with gusto at Shivaji Park as cyclists revved up Their support vehicle was standing by to accompany them to PandharpurCyclists are ready to go from Shivaji Park in Dadar West PICSHEMAL ASHARManoj Kataria a partially sighted cyclist coach and organiser of the Tandem Cyclist Club initiative said even as walkers cheered the courageous ldquoThis is to inspire other visually impaired persons to rise above adversity and show it is possible to achieve We will also spread awareness about tandem cycling with this effortrdquoSupporters check in as the countdown to the pilgrimage begins on Thursday morningVisually impaired cyclists claimed that complete faith and speed synchronisation with their cyclist pilots are vital The Shivaji Park community raised inspiring slogans as an auspicious coconut was broken and our visibly impaired warriors and stellar supporters were on their wayWari wiseLastminute preparations for a journey of couragePandharpur Wari or Vari is an annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur Maharashtra to honour Vithoba It involves carrying the paduka of a saint in a palkhi most notably of Dnyaneshwar leaves from Alandi and Tukaram from Dehu to Pandharpur Many pilgrims join this procession on foot Warkari is a Marathi term which means lsquoone who performs the Varirsquo The tradition is more than 800 years old Marches happen on foot from various locations in Maharashtra to the Vithoba Temple This yatra takes 21 days Along the way many other palkhis join the two most revered palkhis The Wari culminates at the Vithoba Temple on Shayani Ekadashi Ashadi EkadashiTandem bicyclesA tandem bicycle is to be ridden by more than one person at a time Tandem refers to the seating arrangement fore to aft not side by side not the number of riders In tandem the riders are in one line in front and behind On conventional tandems the front rider steers as well as pedals the bicycle and is known as the captain pilot or steersman the rear rider pedals and is known as the stoker navigator or rear admiralThe messageTandem Cycle Wari participants will spread awareness about inclusion equality selfconfidence amongst visually impaired environmental issues and tree plantation encouraging people to build a more inclusive and sustainable societyAn appealThe 10yearold Tandem Club still lacks a permanent space to store its tandem bicycles The Tandem Cyclist Club appeals to individuals organisations corporate bodies and government agencies to support a unique movement through financial assistance infrastructure and public outreachIf you wish to support Manoj Kataria kindly dial 7303788616Event scheduleJuly 9 ThursdayRide began at 645 am from Shri Samarth Vyayam Mandir Shivaji Park Dadar Destination NashikJuly 10With the support of the Nashik Cyclists Foundation the team will continue the journey towards Ahilyanagar where they will halt for the nightJuly 11Cyclists will ride from Ahilyanagar to Pandharpur accompanied by thousands of sighted cyclists participating in the WariJuly 12The team will participate in the Pandharpur Cycle Pradakshina Cycle Ringan Ceremony and All India Cycle Friends Conventionpopcorn numberJuly 12 descDay Tandem Cycle Wari is scheduled to end classDefault