This Kovai biker drove to capital to show support

Renganathan, an electrician is the breadwinner of the family. His wife Indrani (46) sells flowers. The eldest of their two sons Manikandan is pursuing a diploma in electrical and electronics engineering at the government polytechnic, Udhagamandalam. Their younger son Parameswaran is a Class 9 student. “When I told them my idea they did not oppose,” he said. 

On seeing his bike one would wonder how he drove it to Delhi. “There is a hole in the fuel tank, due to which it cannot hold more than three litres of petrol. So I had to refill every 200 km. The tyres are blunt and the speedometer does not work,” he said and added that but for these it is a very good vehicle. With a green banner with the words ‘Povom Delhi’ (let’s go to Delhi) tied on the front of the bike he set off to Delhi at 3 pm on April 11. 

“It cost me around Rs 5,500 for the trip. I wanted to create awareness on the plight of farmers from Tamil Nadu. So dressed like one of the protesters I started riding with a green dhoti. I had a tough time while passing through Karnataka when the people came to know about the purpose of my ride. The initiative was partially against them for not extending cooperation for forming the Cauvery Management Board. I was therefore forced to wear a shirt for the rest of my ride,” he said with a smile.

During his five-daylong ride, Renganathan could not afford a room for night stay. He slept at roadside eateries for a couple of hours in the night and continued riding. “He reached Delhi close to 2 am on April 16. We were shocked to see a man drive so far in such a vehicle to extend his support to us. We felt encouraged and proud of him,” said a core committee member of the protesting farmers.