It was only two months ago that 22-year-old Jibin George returned to his home in Thiruvananthapuram after completing a month-long south Indian solo bicycle trip. But something that gripped his heart in these two months has inspired him to set out on another journey, this time till Jammu and Kashmir, and for a larger cause – proclaiming solidarity with the farmers who are protesting in New Delhi against the contentious farm laws.
A second-year hotel management student at the Rajadhani Institute of Hotel Management, Jibin hails from Shangumukham. Though it’s not the first time he has embarked on a long-distance cycle trip, he says it’s the first time he’s doing it for a cause.
Jibin started his journey on January 7 from Thiruvananthapuram. When TNM got in touch with him, he was crossing a ferry in Azhikode, a coastal village in central Kerala’s Thrissur district. Taking time from his schedule, Jibin talked about his journey and explained the cause behind it.
“Over the past two months, I’d been coming across a lot of reports about the farmers’ protest on social media. But when I looked around me, I didn’t see many people discussing or talking about this in Kerala. Even in mainstream media, I felt the protest is not covered as widely as it should be. This was the prime reason I chose to extend my support for the farmers,” Jibin says.
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To create awareness among people, Jibin has attached placards in support of the farmers to his cycle. He also explains how he tries to talk about the farmers’ protest with the people he meets during his halts in the journey. “I don’t stop and give any speech, but I talk about the protest to the people I meet and in places where I stop during the ride,” he says.
“I feel that the farmers are doing the right thing against the contentious farm laws that are mainly meant to support private players. Though what I do won’t bring about any big change, I want to do what little I can for the cause. Because, what will happen if each one of us decides to do nothing?” Jibin asks.
The young man plans to stick to coastal roads till he reaches Goa. “From Maharashtra, I’ll be exploring places more thoroughly and then head to the protesting farmers in Delhi,” he says. His journey will end in Jammu & Kashmir.
Jibin says so far all along the way he has been welcomed by people positively.