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Ride for Gender Freedom

300,000 square kilometers. One man on a mission to make his country more gender-sensitive.

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Ride for Gender Freedom

Ride for Gender Freedom

Ride for Gender Freedom

Ride for Gender Freedom

Ride for Gender Freedom

300,000 square kilometers. One man on a mission to make his country more gender-sensitive.

300,000 square kilometers. One man on a mission to make his country more gender-sensitive.

300,000 square kilometers. One man on a mission to make his country more gender-sensitive.

300,000 square kilometers. One man on a mission to make his country more gender-sensitive.

Rakesh Singh
Rakesh Singh
Rakesh Singh
Rakesh Singh
1 Campaign |
New Delhi, India
$52 USD 2 backers
2% of $2,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

About the Ride

Moved by the increasing instances of rape, assault, acid-attacks, killings, insults, oppression and other forms of gender discrimination and violence in India, one man has decided to do something about it. Rakesh Singh, a writer and former communications professional, intends to cover the length and breadth of India on a bicycle, teaching people he meets about the importance of respecting gender freedom and acknowledging the rights of people of all genders to live and work in peace.

Although he is himself from the Northern state of Bihar and not well-versed in the languages and culture of South India, Rakesh started his unique ride from the Southern state of Tamil Nadu and has already covered more than 1500 kilometers and traveled across Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala. Rakesh has visited several schools and colleges and also met many interesting people who have supported him and his cause. Rakesh documents all his meetings and interactions through notes and on the Facebook page of the Ride.

"Right from when we are children, we observe and subconsciously learn that men and women are to be treated differently and the so-called third gender is not even acknowledged,"  says Rakesh, "these differences are ingrained in our society." Through the Ride, Rakesh wishes to do his bit to change people's mindsets.

Rakesh uses a mix of theater, puppet shows, speeches and interactions to convey his message. More than anything, he believes that the Ride itself is his message, and he acknowledges that he has been welcomed and supported at all places he has visited.

"I know my goal is tough, and probably, I will not achieve it in my lifetime," he adds, "but, I have made a beginning and I am happy that many people have joined hands with me."

How you can contribute to the cause

The Ride for Gender Freedom has entirely been supported by crowd-sourcing and funds collected by Rakesh from his friends and relatives. Rakesh travels on a shoe-string budget and stays at whichever house he is offered a welcome. Rakesh only needs a small amount of funds for his food, clothes, stationery and material for his theater sessions and the occasional stay in a budget hotel.

Through the current crowd-sourcing campaign, we are raising funds that would be sufficient for Rakesh to meet the next two legs of his Ride.  All the funds will be used exclusively for the Ride and contributors can get regular updates of the progress of the Ride through the Facebook page of the Ride.

Friends who wish to join Rakesh on his Ride can contact Rakesh through the Facebook links below. 

Media coverage for the Ride

Several English language and local language newspapers have covered the Ride for Gender Freedom.  As a former communications professional himself, Rakesh is aware about the power of the media in communicating any important social message.

The Ride has so far been covered by Tamil language newspaper Dinamani, Hindi language newspaper Nai Dunia, Malayalam language daily Malayala Manorama and English dailies the New Indian Express, the Times of India and Deccan Chronicle. Through wider media coverage for the Ride, Rakesh hopes that his message will travel across the country and outside.

Get to know more about Rakesh and the Ride

You can follow the Ride for Gender Freedom on its Facebook page Ride for Gender Freedom and Rakesh can be found on Facebook here

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