Gurgaon pit stop: Four Australian bikers to travel 7,000km across India for child rights

Covering major parts of all four regions of the country, they will ride the motorcycles through different terrains. Starting their journey from Delhi, they plan to move to Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and then south to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

In a bid to bring about a positive change for children who face myriad challenges and are often deprived of their basic rights, a team of four Australian bikers have set out on a 45-day road trip across the country on Saturday. Over the course of their journey, they will cover 7,000km and spread the word on children’s rights.

Through their journey, they aim to film a documentary on the challenges faced by children in India, create mass awareness about their issues, and capture stories of hope and change, and in the process raise funds for their cause. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The bike rally was kicked off at 2pm from CyberHub, Gurgaon, on Saturday.

The bikers — Cameron Perry, Scott Grills, Ben Butcher and Taylor Hogan — have partnered with NGO CRY- Child Rights and You, which works for children’s rights in the country, to embark upon their dream project ‘Ride for Rights – An India­­n Odyssey’.

Through their journey, they aim to film a documentary on the challenges faced by children in India, create mass awareness about their issues, and capture stories of hope and change, and in the process raise funds for their cause.

Covering major parts of all four regions of the country, they will ride the motorcycles through different terrains. Starting their journey from Delhi, they plan to move to Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and then south to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In the east, they will bike across West Bengal and Odisha, before coming back to get a whiff of the mountains in Uttarakhand and ending their ride full circle in Delhi.

The riders will be travelling through intervention areas in different states, where they will interact with communities, the ground workers and children to also capture inspiring stories of hope and lasting change.

Soha Moitra, Regional Director, North, CRY, said, “To see these passionate young men wanting to make a difference in the lives of children in India is heartwarming. We are as excited to see the stories of children through their lens and are glad to be a part of their incredible journey. This goes to show how one can channelise one’s passion for bringing about a change. This is sure to inspire millions of people in India to do their bit for upholding child rights.”

The four friends, who grew up together in Sydney, say they were certain they didn’t want to just volunteer in India and head back home. “We wanted to take up a project that would bring about a lasting change in the lives of children. So we decided to take up a project on a larger scale,” Cameron said.

Ben, the youngest of them all at 21, is a passionate filmmaker and is excited about getting to film a country he has heard so much about. Through his work, he hopes to bring about a qualitative change in the lives of children in India.