Bike for Rights – Ganesh’s big adventure

Ganesh Pandey is something of a cycling superhero. In his native Nepal, he and his family faced terrible poverty wrapping chocolates for a mere 20-30 rupees (20-30 pence) a day.  Recalling such adversity, Ganesh pays tribute to his mother who taught her children to persevere: “she always used to tell us stories to be brave and stand on our own and the love and support she has given us during the hard times… is really praiseworthy.”

Ganesh had finally secured a promising job as a teacher when an outbreak of violence during the Nepalese Civil War left both his legs and right arm badly fractured. After a major operation, he was left in a wheelchair and then got by painfully on crutches for many months. Ganesh lost his teaching position and a subsequent job due to his injuries and stress, and slipped into a deep depression. 

But somehow he persevered. Moving to Kathmandu, Ganesh got a job as a teacher and then as a marketing manager. He went on to study management at the University of Wales and completed an MBA at the University of Sunderland. 

Now, he is taking to the road to raise awareness for human rights and hoping to raise some funds for Amnesty International along the way.

The Mission:  Cycle 3,100 miles, across 18 countries throughout Europe in just two and a half months. On the road, Ganesh will be raising awareness and funds for Amnesty’s work to stop violence against women, as well as money to set up a library with a computer in the Shaileswori Primary School, in a remote village of Nepal.

Ganesh began the UK leg of his trip in Scotland on 1 April, stopping by the Amnesty Scotland office to say hello before he headed off down the coast.

Ganesh keeps a blog of his travels and encourages his supporters to find him on Facebook, as well. In his last post, from Berwick upon Tweed on Monday, he says:

“The cycle network is completely quiet, you hardly meet some cyclist or walkers along the way, which several times crosses through the farmhouses and you need to open the gates and then close them again, which is the same for every gate along the way! This was a hectic job for me, as I had to get off my bike open the gate, cross it, and then close it. But, the scenic view along the coastline is amazing; you will forget all your troubles along the way.”

We are sure Ganesh will encounter many more amazing sites on his mission to promote human rights education as far as he can cycle.

To donate, visit Ganesh’s Just Giving page and don’t forget to leave a few words of encouragement for a truly inspiring individual!