New Delhi, May 2020.

To showcase the medley of India’s geographical diversity and cultural richness, Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna Desh Webinar, on 23rd May 2020 titled ‘BICYCLE TOURS - Exploring India at the pace of a pedal’ offered an immersive 360 degree view of India through bicycle tours and showcased how slow pace of a pedal is the best way to soak in every aspect of this diverse region and connect with the people, its culture and way of life.

The 23rd session of the Dekho Apna Desh webinar series on 23rd May 2020 moderated by Ms. Rupinder Brar , Additional Director General , Ministry of Tourism and was presented by Mr. Gurudeep Ramakrishna & Ms. - Ms.Tejaswini Gopalaswamy (Co-founders of Unventured Expeditions Pvt Ltd).

The presentation, divided into 5 broad sections, focused on ‘Why bicycle travel?’, videos representing a virtual journey through India’s diverse landscapes, ‘Bicycle 101’ highlighting the core important things about the bicycle travel like how to get started with the fascinating interest of cycling and tips for beginners, planning a bicycle tour including women travellers in bicycle tours and the 5 major popular bicycle tours itineraries in India namely Manali to Leh Bike expedition,Eastern Himalayas: Sikkim & Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, South India, Hampi & Badami.

Wellbeing cannot be attributed to cycling alone, the bicycle as a means for exploration and travel connects the riders to nature, people and diverse experiences they take on while reaching their destination. The slow pace and constant pedaling to keep the bicycle moving is a mental and physical reminder to be present and engaged at every moment. The cycle becomes a catalyst to soak in new perspectives and be truly engaged with the region. These experiences combined together are meditative. After all meditation is a consistent practice to use techniques like mindfulness and awareness to achieve mental clarity, and emotional stability.

Gears on a bicycle are very akin to the gears in an automobile and they help us reduce the stress on the human engine (our two legs) as we pedal about exploring places. With varying terrain, using gears on the bicycle can help the cyclist reduce the stress on her/his legs and makes it easier when climbing up hills or steep inclines and also generate speed while going downhill or even when cycling in flat terrain.

The Deko Apna Desh Webinar series is presented by Ministry of Tourism with active technical support from National e-Governance Division (NeGD) created by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) for effective citizen engagement and communication with all stakeholders using the digital experience platform.