JOIN USAge doesn’t seem to deter this 62-year-old who will soon embark on a journey from the City to New Delhi in a solar-powered car to pay tribute to former president A P J Abdul Kalam whose 84th birth anniversary was celebrated across the nation on Thursday.
Syed Sajjad Ahmed, a recipient of the A P J Abdul Kalam Environment Award in 2006, will spread Kalam’s message of ‘going green’ by beginning his journey on November 1 from the Raj Bhavan here till the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi. Ahmed will pass through Hindupur, Anantpur, Kurnool, Mahaboobnagar, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Itarsi, Jhansi and Agra and plans to reach New Delhi in a month.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Ahmed said, “I want to inspire more and more people to go green, especially the youth. And what better way to commemorate his birth anniversary than to spread his message of inspiring and igniting young minds.”
Ahmed, who hails from Kolar and has been residing in the City for more than four decades, said he intends to touch Haridwar and come back in the same vehicle via Mumbai. “I am planning to also visit Haridwar as part of my journey to seek blessings from the holy river Ganga. If I get a chance I will also participate in the upcoming India International Science Fair that will be held in New Delhi in the first week of December.”
Ahmed received the A P J Abdul Kalam Parisara Prasashthi award for travelling in the same solar-powered car across the country for more than thousand kilometres.
He has upgraded his vehicle by increasing its engine capacity and will be able to complete the return journey in the same car. A class 12 dropout, he has designed the car without any formal training. “I plan to drive a 100 kilometres per day and stop on the way to meet schoolchildren and college students, who I will try to motivate and encourage to come out with their own innovations.”