Dr. Kiran Seth, the 74-year-old founder of SPIC MACAY (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth) and recipient of the prestigious Padma Shree award, is currently embarking on a cycling expedition from Goa to Pune. On May 11, he arrived in Belagavi where he had the opportunity to interact with students and faculty at GIT. Today, he departed for Hattargi, where he was met by members of the Venugram Cycling Club Belagavi before continuing on his journey.
Dr. Seth shared a few words of wisdom for us on life and cycling.
“Cycling keeps me humble and peaceful. It is a means of simple living and high thinking.”
“Cycling should be an enabler for humanity to go from place to place. A Bicycle should be widely available and accepted as the preferred mode of transport. It should not be a fancy expensive symbol for a person.”
“You don’t need expensive geared Bicycles if you are not into competitive cycling.
Only two speeds are enough. One is when you are riding your Bicycle, the other is when you are walking and pushing it uphill.”
“Mental health is equally or even more important than physical health for a person. If the head is alright, everything else falls in place. Cycling is just an excuse to reach out to people and convey your message to them and learn about their hopes and aspirations”
“When I am cycling alone, it is a silent form of meditation and a spiritual connection between the body and mind”
While he pedaled away towards Hattargi – on a single-speed bicycle, without any support team or vehicle, We wished him all the best on his ‘never-ending’ journey.
SPIC MACAY is a 45-year-old nationwide, non-political, people’s movement and a registered society that has been organizing programs of classical music and dance, folk music and dance, meditation, yoga, cinema classic screenings, talks by eminent persons, heritage walks, craft workshops inside school and college campuses to inspire students to take an active interest in Indian heritage.
With inputs from Manoj Gaonkar
Health is wealth. Cyclist Dr. Kiran Seth is showing the way. May his tribe increase.