1000-km cycle expedition concludes

The 1,000-km cycling expedition titled as Umeed-1000, a CSR initiative of RBL Bank, culminated at Sri Sathya Sai School, here in the city on Friday.

The 17 cyclists, who pedalled from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam via Tirupati, covering major cities such as Kurnool, Puttaparthi, Tirupati, Nellore, Ongole, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry, were enthused when they were received by Test cricketer Gautam Gambhir at the school.

The cyclothon team was led by Jasmeet S. Gandhi, cycling enthusiast and software professional.

“Taking up social causes is my passion and this was the fourth year on the trot to take up cycling expedition for the RBL,” he said.

According to Shanta Vallury Gandhi, Head HR, CSR and internal branding of RBL, the bank has been taking up such an activity for the last four years and the idea is to cover 1000 km and facilitate education for at least 1000 girls from the economically weaker sections, every year.

Ms. Shanta said India still has about 8-10 million girls in the 6-17 age group who are not enrolled in any school or educational institution. “Our goal is to educate such students and empower them to become independent so that they can make informed choices in life,” she said.

This year’s cyclothon was dedicated to support Udbhav School, a school located in Rasoolpura, Hyderabad. Udbhav has been taken over by the IIMA Alumni Association Hyderabad chapter Charitable Trust.

Speaking to The Hindu Harish Kumar of the chapter, said, “Our goal is to impart holistic education to every child to make them life ready and to make them good citizens of India. The school was renamed as “Udbhav School” by IIMAAA Hyderabad Chapter Charitable trust. The Udbhav management is committed to providing the Udbhav children opportunities and education for their all-round growth and development. Our vision is to transform the lives of at least 10,000 underprivileged children by 2025, across the country”.

Appreciating the management of RBL Bank and IIMAAA, Gautam Gambhir said “I like the name of the initiative Umeed 1000. Umeed or hope can motivate even in the most challenging times.”

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