Delhi Teen on 1,200-km Cycling Expedition From Kargil to Honour War Heroes

On Kargil Vijay Diwas, July 26th, 12-year-old Arav Bhardwaj from Delhi will embark on a 1,200 km cycling journey from the Kargil War Memorial in Ladakh to the National War Memorial in Delhi. Accompanied by his father, Dr. Atul Bhardwaj, a Delhi-based spine surgeon, the father-son team will cycle together, while Arav's 66-year-old grandfather, advocate MS Bhardwaj, will follow in a vehicle. A standard 8th grader, Arav plans to complete the trip in 13 days, cycling 10 to 12 hours each day.

He said, “I have been preparing for this for the last two years and since the last three months, my dad and I have been progressively increasing the distance we can cover to around 90 kms a day while cycling with ankle weights on.”

Despite the challenging journey ahead, Arav is thrilled about the cycle expedition, which brings together three generations to honor the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country, along with their village community from Rohtak, Haryana. Arav shares, “My father has always told me stories about the freedom struggle and India’s war heroes. Hearing about the bravery of people from my village has inspired me to join the defense services when I grow up. I’ve loved cycling since I was 3. Although we’ve trained extensively in Delhi, this will be new territory for me with its hilly terrain and unpredictable weather.”

Lending his full support to his son on this yatra, Dr Atul tells us, “Seeing Arav’s passion, everyone from his friends to school and our entire family is very supportive of his journey. We plan on beginning our days at 5am and will try to cover as much distance as possible. We will stay at government guest houses, army accommodation and even roadside dhabas. Once we get to Delhi on August 8, we will pay our homage to the martyrs at the Memorial.”

At 10 years old, he undertook a 2,612kms journey where he cycled for 32 days from the INA Museum Moirang in Manipur to Delhi’s National War Memorial to commemorate the 75th Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and 125th anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.