“Keeping our country clean is our responsibility. We should all take ownership of our surroundings,” says Sundaram Tiwari, a 30-year-old environmentalist from Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. By taking responsibility for his surroundings, he serves as an inspiration to young people with the potential to make a positive impact on society through environmental care.

His journey into environmental activism began not in a classroom, or a conference hall, but on the fields where he grew up. As a child, he spent long summer afternoons in his uncle’s mango orchards, where over 27 species of mangoes grew. The trees provided shade, and the air was cool.

“But as I grew older, I saw those fields vanish. All the species of mangoes, too, became just memories. I realised that if this is the condition in our village, it must be worse in cities. I knew I had to do something,” he tells The Better India.

During his B Pharmacy days, he supported underprivileged children by raising money for their school fees. However, as he witnessed the increasing destruction of nature, he was deeply affected, feeling an undeniable urge to shift his focus towards environmental causes.

The bicycle diaries

In April 2022, the young environmentalist embarked on what would become one of the most ambitious journeys of his life. He began a bicycle yatra, with the aim of spreading awareness about environmental conservation.

Over the next one and a half years, he cycled across the country, stopping in villages and towns across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Gujarat, and Telangana.

“When I started the journey, I didn’t have a grand plan. My main goal was to reach as many people as possible, to plant the seeds of awareness,” he explains. He would typically conduct three to four events in a day, meeting activists, engaging local communities, and most importantly, spreading the importance of planting trees.

Through his bicycle yatra, Sundaram was able to connect with over 10 lakh people across the country. He used his social media networks to broadcast his itinerary and collaborate with local environmentalists and activists before reaching a city. Together, they........

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