‘Super Hero’ babu pedals for a vision

Apr 20,2022

‘Super Hero’ babu pedals for a vision

Yagnesh Bharat Mehta / Apr 20, 2022, 03:31 IST

Surat: Counting days to his wedding, additional commissioner of Municipal Corporation Chandigarh (MCC), 39-year-old Rupesh Kumar, added a feather to his ‘saafaa’ (turban) on Monday, when the blind bureaucrat was awarded the title of ‘Super Hero’ at the ‘Smart Cities, Smart Urbanization’ Conference.
Kumar, who rides a tandem cycle with his driver or PSO to work daily, has been honoured for his efforts towards a clean environment despite his handicap. A 2019 IAS officer of AGMUT cadre, Kumar rides over 100km every month on his cycle. “FWCC was from January 1 to 26. Despite a break for eight days due to Covid-19 I rode for 101 km,” he said.
However, after marriage Kumar will get a new partner to pedal his efforts further. “I need someone to steer and currently my staff members do that. It can be my spouse as well. Ultimately it is about cycling, which is a passion for me,” Kumar told TOI.
The confidence of doing something inspirational is loud and clear in Kumar’s voice while his smile only puts a stamp on the positive note. Kumar overpowers his disability by cycling which is the only habit that he did not quit for his disability.

Enthusiastic about being feted as the ‘Super Hero’ as part of the ‘freedom to walk and cycle challenge’ (FWCC) by Smart City Mission, the bureaucrat mentions the title while introducing himself.
“I used to ride my bicycle regularly when I was young. But after losing my eyesight, I had to stop for some time. Later, I started riding again in a borrowed tandem cycle with help of friends, family, and colleagues. Finally, I bought my own,” he said.
A native of Amritsar, Kumar gradually developed vision impairment due to retinitis pigmentosa around 20 years ago. “Initially I thought my vision would improve but now I have almost 100 percent vision impairment,” said Kumar.
“In Chandigarh, many people ride bicycles regularly which gave me the courage to start. This helps me keep fit and reduce pollution as well,” he added.