New Delhi, Dec 3 (Inditop.com) Prabhajit Singh left the comfort of his home in Ambala, Haryana on Jan 19 to cycle across India alone. Sounds easy except that the former Indian Army soldier lost his left hand and foot in a train accident.
Singh, 41, set out on his mission to tell people that “Nothing was impossible” after the ghastly terrorist attack on Mumbai last year.
“As a former soldier I felt deeply hurt by the Mumbai terror attack. It could have been averted if the general people were better informed and had the will power. That is when I resigned from my current job and set out on my mission,” Singh told Inditop here.
Singh joined the Indian Army in 1984. He was part of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and fought militants but lost the job on medical grounds after a prolonged illness. His tryst with ill-fate did not stop there as he lost his left limbs in a train accident in 1990.
But the accident did not break Singh’s will.
“When I told my wife about my decision she opposed it straightaway. The prospect of me cycling alone through disturbed areas scared her. But I had taken the decision and set off on my mission on my cycle with only Rs.10,000 in my pocket,” Singh said.
The only modification he made was that his cycle did not have a left brake. It took Singh 170 days to cover a distance of 17,560 km across the country.
“On my way I stopped over at different army cantonments and police stations. I also met many civilians and everybody said they would pray for the completion of my mission. I guess that is my biggest victory when all the Indians unite and think in the same manner,” said Singh.
“I travelled through insurgency hit areas of Manipur and Nagaland, came across insurgents but was never harmed. In fact my joy knew no bounds when I was cycling through Udhampur, where I once fought militants,” Singh said recalling his experience.
Singh is in Delhi to seek an appointment with Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor. President Pratibha Patil has also expressed her wish to meet Singh.
As the world celebrates Disability Day on Dec 3, Singh wearing a blue T-shirt and trouser and an Indian Army cap said: “It is all in the mind. My wife is also disabled but nothing has stopped us from progressing in life. My sole message is ‘Nothing is Impossible’.”
In the same breath he added: “I would like my five-year-old daughter to also join the army.”
