Thane: A 26-year-old visually impaired, world record-breaking cyclist from Ulhasnagar began his journey to cover 7,500 km on his bicycle on Nov 15, 2021, and in 45 days covered the stretch from the Gateway of India to Jammu to Kanyakumari and back. Ajay Lalwani cycled through 12 states with an aim to boost awareness about road safety.
Mr Lalwani has been working in the BMC's water distribution department since 2017. His father and three brothers sell potatoes and onions in Ulhasnagar while his mother runs the house. He believes that you don't need eyes to see your dreams, “All you need is a heart, along with some dedication and the intention to fulfil them”.
Campaign aimed at travel safety
According to Mr Lalwani, many people are killed in accidents at night especially due to a lack of proper road lighting. “My aim is to travel more than 7,500 km. Through my campaign, I hope to convince India to light up the roads so that people like me can travel safely,” he said.
Mr Lalwani has set the world record by cycling 2,010 km (Dadar-Gondia-Dadar) and from Mumbai to Goa and back to Mumbai. He has also won several national level medals in para-sport tournaments for judo and kabaddi, and was felicitated by Nashik District Collector Suraj Mandhare for his Dadar-Gondia-Dadar feat. He is now set to take part in a running and swimming competition in Pune and Mumbai next week. The cyclist says he always aims to cover a distance of 1,000km per month to spread his message about the road-related problems in our country.
Mr Lalwani has also set his sights on scaling Mount Everest to become the first visually impaired Indian to do so. “My aim is to climb Everest in 2024 but need around Rs50 lakh for that. I get sponsorships but they are not so great. I have used my own salary for any initiative I have taken up so far. However, most of it gets used up paying EMIs. I would love it if the government comes forward and helps me in my mission.”
