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Why Manipur man is cycling 5,000 km through Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai & Delhi

Snippets from the vibrant Northeast that capture politics, culture, society and more in the eight states.

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New Delhi: Philem Rohan Singh is cycling from Kolkata to three other four metro cities to raise funds to feed the homeless in his home state Manipur.

For nearly a year, the cyclist has been running an initiative to feed the homeless in Manipur. His endeavour began in March 2020, when a nationwide lockdown was announced in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Singh, along with a group of friends, has been distributing food to 40-50 people daily. The initiative is currently funded from their pockets, and through donations. Some of the money comes from sales of t-shirts that carry the message ‘Cycling for Humanity’ at the Ima market in Imphal.

The 24-year-old embarked on the tour on 5 February. Over his journey, he will cover a distance of over 5,000 km as he travels through Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi before returning to Kolkata. The idea is to raise awareness and funds for his initiative.

“We have been running this campaign for nearly a year now. Initially, we started helping the homeless during the lockdown, and at that time even we had not planned to keep this for so long. We have not received any support from the government or the authorities to feed them. Now we have reached a stage where we need support from others to keep our mission running. That is how I decided to go for a cycle expedition,” Singh told Indiatimes.


Also read: Retired Nagaland officer becomes first woman elected head of tribal clan


Guwahati waiter’s dance moves take internet by storm

A 23-year-old waiter at a Guwahati restaurant has won hearts on the internet with his dancing skills. Surajit Tripura recently danced for his customers in the city’s Absolute Barbecues, a video of which has been widely shared online.

In the clip, Tripura can be seen showing off his locking-and-popping skills to the song ‘Girl I need you’ from the Tiger Shroff-starrer Baaghi.

“I have some friends who came across my videos on social media; honestly speaking, I do not use much social media, so I do not know a lot about it. But yeah, it feels good to be recognised,” he told Inside Northeast. The Tripura native said he he has never taken dance lessons.

“I came to Guwahati after passing my 12th standard examinations. I am now working at the Absolute Barbecues. Sometimes, during social occasions and to fulfil customers’ requests, I perform a dance,” he added.

Bodo film wins big at Golden Sparrow International Film Fest

Sijou, a Bodo film written and directed by Vishal P. Chaliha, has bagged four awards at the prestigious Golden Sparrow International Film Festival 2021 in Tamil Nadu. The movie bagged awards in the Best Director, Indian Feature Film; Best Debut Filmmaker of Feature Film; Best Screenplay Writer, Indian feature film; and special jury award, Indian feature film categories.

A historical drama, Sijou has been produced by National Award-winning film-makers Preeyam Kherkatary Chaliha and Omprakash Kherkatary.

It revolves around a boy who becomes a victim of the feudal land tenure system that was in practice in Bhutan till 1958.

5 Sikkim athletes turn joke into a ‘Fit India’ challenge

Five athletes from Sikkim — Bhupendra Hang Subba, Nreependra Subba, Sudarsan Tamang, Allen Targain and Basant Pradhan — completed a 700-km-long duathlon from Kolkata to Gangtok earlier this week in a bid to spread awareness about ‘Fit India’ and promote ‘organic Sikkim’.

The eight-day duathlon — duathlon comprises running and cycling — began on 31 January and came to an end on 7 February. The five athletes cycled for around 583 km through the highways of West Bengal, before discarding their bicycles in Siliguri and running uphill towards Gangtok (a distance of another 115 km).

“How the expedition started is an interesting story. During the lockdown I was on a video call with someone when he jokingly said I could come home from Kolkata running. I am an athlete and was posted in Kolkata. That’s how the idea of the duathlon came about. I was the only one then and I communicated my idea to one of my team members and slowly formed a team of five like-minded athletes,” Bhupendra was quoted as saying by Sikkim Express.


Also read: Nagaland entrepreneur develops LED lights that ‘do not go dim’ when voltage fluctuates


 

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