66-year-old Vidyadhar Bhuskute from Mumbai is on a mission — to walk across the country to spread the message of peace and bonhomie. He has started walk from Gandhi Ashram — Ahmedabad to Kolkata (Shanti Nikletan). He will be walking the entire journey going along the coast, via Kanyakumari, covering 7,500 km. During his walk, he will meet and speak to farmers, labourers, students, youths, the orphanages, the old, and many others. He has taken up the patriotic genes from his parents Annasaheb Bhuskute and Sindhutai Bhuskute who were freedom fighters. The seeds of patriotism and social work were sowed back in his childhood and later the seeds only grew into a healthy tree of patriotism. In view of this, Bhurkute started an organization that works for the homeless woman and helps them make a living. He organised lectures of noted social workers and ‘influential’ names through his Annasaheb Bhurkute Manch to create awareness among the masses.
He will be walking the entire journey going along the coast, via Kanyakumari, covering 7,500 km. During his walk, he will meet and speak to farmers, labourers, students, youths, the orphanages, the old and many others. Vidyadhar says he cannot sleep unless I have walked for at least five kilometers in a day. His parents had participated in freedom struggle, were incarcerated and did social work after India got freedom.
Vidyadhar has covered over 8,000 km, crossed 26 rivers in 18 states and seen lush green fields, fascinating waterfalls, and rugged mountain ranges. Vidyadhar’s love for walking existed since childhood as he would walk 5 kms everyday. When he grew up, he would walk from Dombivli to Vangni, CBD Belapur and Vashi on his weekly-offs.
Vidyadhar walks 35 kms everyday and has walked through AP, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. He thought of taking up these walks as a means to know India as well as to bring people together. Really it’s a challenging task for a man of 66-years-old. Noted personalities including former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Senior Editor Kumar Ketkar, Social Activist Medha Patkar, Dr. Kiran Bedi have commended Bhuskute’s work and have extended their support to his mission. His aim is to promote peace, humanity, environmental balance, education, and raise awareness about other issues. His mission is to spread message of peace and humanity and on five main objectives viz. Peace, Environment, real education, female foeticide and humanity. He feels that a generation of freedom fighters have sacrificed their lives to give us freedom and now it’s our turn to get together to make our country stronger.
These walks have enriched him as a person and a human being. He is a true follower of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda. According to him peace is a sign of harmony characterised by lack of violence and lack of fear of violence. According to Vidyadhar peace also suggests the existence of healthy inter-personal relations, prosperity socially or economically, establishment of equality and a working political order that serves the interests of all. Today, when there is a conflict at every level, personal, social, national, and international and as we negotiate the changes and traditions, the means and end of achieving peace are inseparable and peace is the ay and solution of mankind. The ‘Peace’ God means for us is not ‘world peace’ but it means completeness, soundness, prosperity at all levels of our lives. There is no doubt that Vidyadhar’s walk for peace will spread positive energy on both sides of the border.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
