Maksam Tayeng

PASIGHAT, Jun 16: Jyothi Rongala, a spirited and energetic young woman from southern district of East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh reached Pasighat in East Siang district on Friday on bicycle with an aim to enroll her name in Guinness Book of World Records.
Jyothi Rongala, 35 years had started her mission in 2017 with a message ‘Indian Roads are Safe for Women’ and have already covered 18 states and 2 Union Territories on bicycle, which was disrupted  for around a year due to an accident in a rock climbing programme. A mountaineering instructor by profession under Ministry of Defence with a high passion in taking up adventure works, Jyothi narrated her aim.“My humble intention is to prove that Indian streets are safe for women traveller and its people are very rich in hospitality. My journey is unsupported and cashless and I  have never availed any stay in government guest houses or hotels. I took shelter in the residence of my well-wishers, in temples or in Gurudwaras.” Covering 100 km per day in her bicycle Jyothi said that she had already covered those areas and villages which are said to be most dangerous from women’s safety point of view.
After reaching Pasighat she told this scribe in an interview that people of Northeast in general and Arunachal Pradesh in particular are very friendly and hospitable. Her mission to cover a distance of 30,000 km by setting a world record is being appreciated and admired by many including Gonesh Koyu, a retired commissioner of Government of Arunachal Pradesh  who is her host in Pasighat. 

“In cities there are many people, but none of them offers me anything to eat, but small villages and towns here in Northeast offer best of their hospitality. However, I didn’t face any atrocity and problem from anyone while travelling in night time also which proves that, all Indian roads are safe for women,” added Jyothi. When asked about how her idea to test Indian roads conceptualized, she told that a Dutch couple in a mountaineering meeting in Everest Camp in Nepal once termed India a place of rape which hurt her deeply arousing the inspiration to prove it wrong .
After reaching Pasighat, Jyothi has now set out for other Northeastern states like Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland etc via Roing in Dibang Valley district through Sadia, Assam. She plans to wrap up the mission by 2020 as she has already covered around 15000 km till date and is also intending to reach out to the across-the-ocean UTs like Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. 

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List