Day 4, July 18, 2017- Aluva to Palakkad
Distance cycled- 140 kilometres.
Duration – 10 hours
As Sunitas journey unfolded into the 4th day , she met the monsoon. in its own state of origin and it accompanied her for more than 70 kilometres as she pedalled along undettered .”My new cycle was beyond recognition covered with slush and mud and my white T-shirt has turned brown. My only pair of shoes are drenched in water and there is no way they will dry by tomorrow” said Sunita cheerfully inspite of todays gruelling ride in heavy rains. It is pretty evident that the rains could not dampen the spirit of this resilient girl.
In hinterland Kerala where the language is completely alien to Sunita she has been successful in engaging the people and connecting to them to convey her message. She meets people from all walks of life- little kids wave to her, people stop her, communicate with her curious to know about her, take autographs and selfies and many of them ride along with her accompanying her for whatever distance they can on her long and demanding journey. Many see the dreams they have for their daughter in Sunita.One young boy went to the extent of confessing his desire to have a life partner like her, followed by proposing to her- An offer Sunita jokingly brushed aside saying that she was too old for him.
Sunitas todays journey ended at Palakkad, a pass of western ghat that connects Kerala with Tamil Nadu, where she is staying with a family who is friends of Dr Narayan Kutty whom she met at Trivandrum on her 2nd day of journey. Her network is growing and so is the support for the cause, she is so passionate about.
“Educate your daughters and empower them to take their own decisions and live their life freely on their own terms” – Message from Sunita Singh Choken
Special thanks to the “Omni Sangha” NGO for supporting this noble mission.