Rohan Philem: Cycling for humanity during Covid crisis
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 17 2021: Not all heroes wear capes and Manipur's Philem Rohan Singh is one such warrior who has been cycling tirelessly to help the needy amidst the deadly COVID-19 pandemic that has altered human existence.

Defying the odds, this 24-year-old cyclist and social activist and founder of 'Cycling for Humanity' campaign has been working towards feeding 55-60 hungry people daily on the streets and rehabilitating them through his ongoing 'Feeding the hungry' initiative.

The noble initiative started when the pandemic hit its peak and lockdown began in March 2020 where Rohan and his team fed hungry individuals who were homeless, disabled and also people who had no one to feed for them.

Food was sourced from local shops at reasonable prices, urging them to help the needy.

Travelling almost 2500 kms, Rohan and his team of 15 cyclist volunteers helped around 150 families affected by COVID-19 including widows, migrant workers and daily wage earners.

Hailing from the small town of Moirang, Rohan along with his team of volunteers started the initiative 'Cycling for Humanity' and are now putting in efforts to make it an official Non Governmental Organisation.

Having completed 8 expeditions since 2018 Philem Rohan Singh said, "I began this campaign with pure intentions and the mindset to help others in need in any situation.

I strongly believe in the saying 'Helping one person may not change the world, but it can change the person's world'.

As the demand of supply increases, there are many loopholes in the financial area and at times even the manpower (volunteers) are overworked.

But the need of the people is more important, and we request more and more citizens to help in whatever way you can for the people who are less fortunate and under privileged".

His initiative garnered immense support from individuals who even pitched in monetarily to keep this noble cause going ahead.

Rohan is now hoping to get Government helps and sponsorship to reach out to a wider populace.

Furthering the reach, Rohan took the journey across the Golden Quadrilateral, peddling over 5,000 kms in two months, serving 4000 meals in different cities, interacting with them and also creating awareness about the deadly virus.

The campaign is actively running in Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi, not only in Manipur.

While marching ahead in this initiative, Rohan came across more than 60 drug addicts who were successfully shifted to the rehabilitation centres from the red zone area of Manipur with the help of local police and Health Department under the banner 'Cycling for Humanity'.

He reached out to all segments of the society including rickshaw drivers, old age people, sex workers, substance users, mentally disable people and migrant workers causing the number of meals being distributed to rise to 120 per day in Manipur.

The initiative is still continuing and ration is being supplied to 70 widows, more than 10 rickshaw drivers along with 20-25 meals lunch/dinner at 4 different Covid Care Centres per day.

And not just humans, but the 'Feeding the hungry' campaign is also providing food to almost 200 monkeys every day to prevent starvation deaths in Manipur State.

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