Lost grandparent in street accident, Lucknow woman equips hundreds of bicycles with flashlights
: Grief-stricken by the dying of her maternal grandfather in a bicycle accident, a 22-year-old BBA LLB scholar in Lucknow has taken it up on herself to make driving a safer expertise for others.
Khushi Pandey from Ashiyana Colony has been fixing pink flashlights on bicycles, an initiative that she calls ‘Mission Ujala’. She will typically be seen standing on key intersections of the town holding a placard that reads “cycle pe gentle lagwao”.
Some customers shared movies of Khushi on Twitter after which it didn’t take lengthy for individuals to take word of her efforts.
“My grandfather, Shri Nath Tiwari, 68, rode his cycle to work day-after-day since he couldn’t afford a motorcycle. One foggy December evening in 2020 when he was coming again residence, he was hit by a rushing automotive close to Awadh Crossing. He was taken to a hospital by the automotive driver, the place he died,” Khushi says. She feels that his dying might have been prevented if he was seen to the automotive driver. “That’s why I made a decision to repair lights on each bicycle.”
The associated fee of one such gentle is ₹450. She funds her work with the donations she will get and even spends from of her personal pocket. Regardless of nonetheless being a graduate scholar, she works for 2 corporations and even teaches.
“I began my challenge in January this yr and repair wherever between 70 to 80 lights per day. Up to now, I’ve fastened flashlights to 1,550 bicycles.”
Khushi has additionally written to street security officers requesting them to make such lights obligatory for all bicycles.
Khushi additionally teaches 82 underprivileged college students with the assistance of volunteers. She additionally distributes sanitary napkins, which she will get from manufacturers in change for dealing with their promotion, to ladies at authorities colleges. She additionally organises workshops at Sheroes Cafe for acid assault survivors.
In accordance with the newest NCRB report, street accident deaths in the nation rose by practically 17% in 2021 over the earlier yr. The very best quantity of street accident instances was reported in Tamil Nadu (57,090), adopted by Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.