Day 11, July 25, 2017 – Davangere to Hubli
Distance – 175 kilometres (includes detours taken from the highway to interact with people)
Duration – 18 hours
For a girl who has spent a major part of her adult life climbing passes and camping in the cool environs of snow capped mountains, cycling through the hot and humid terrains of the country is definitely an altogether different ball game. Ignorant of the impact then Southern sun can have on the skin, Sunita has been cycling through days without adequate protection resulting in intense tanning, rashes and peeling of skin. Tanning is the least of her worries but rashes were something that needed her immediate attention. With a little help from her well wishers she could acquire ointments, full sleeved inner and a stroll to deal with this pressing problem.
As she hits the roads today from Davangere to Hubli the worrisome rashes which had been threatening to get worse have been pushed to the back of her mind. In the forefront is her mission to spread awareness about her ‘ Beti Padhao Beti Bachao ‘ and ‘Save Environment’ campaigns by being a role model for the many men and women she is interacting with as she pedals the length of the country.
Word is spreading about her journey and there are crowds waiting for her in villages along the way. Sunita humbly meets ever yone- though this slows down her movement but a smiling Sunita says “ I get my energy from the support I get “. Sunita reached Haveri at around 1:30 pm where her well wishers were waiting for her with steaming hot lunch. She spent time interacting with them and also planted a sapling in the premises of Vishnu Community Hall at Haveri. By the time she left Haveri for Gotagodi where she was to stay the night it was already 6:00pm. At Gotagodi a group of fans received her and insisted that she make it to Hubli as a ceremony had been organized there to felicitate her. Sunita was more than done for the day but she isn’t one who would disappoint anybody. This resilient girl cycled another 40 kilometres testing her stamina to its limit Hubli at 11:30 pm.
And the day didn’t end here she attended a ceremony, interacted with the ladies of the house answering the scores of questions they had.The ‘purdah’ system was still prevalent in the households. Sunita feels “Respecting traditions is important, however if these traditions curtail a persons freedom one needs to rethink and review their relevance”
Finally her day ended at 2:00 am with a phone call to her parents assuring them of her well being.
