Four Australian riders to take up a journey across India for the cause of children
New Delhi: Young and raring to bring about a change for children, four Australian bikers are travelling 7,000 kilometres across India to capture stories of children and highlight challenges which deprive them of their rights. The bikers, Cameron Perry, Scott Grills, Ben Butcher and Taylor Hogan have partnered with the Indian NGO CRY – Child Rights and You, which works for children’s rights in India to embark upon their dream project ‘Ride for Rights – An Indian Odyssey’ from Delhi on Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycles. Through their journey, they aim to film a documentary on the challenges faced by children in India, create mass awareness about their issues, and capture stories of hope and change, and in the process raise funds for their cause.
Covering major parts of all four regions of the country, they will ride the motorcycles through different terrains. Starting their journey from Delhi, they plan to move on to Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, going down south to Andhra and Tamil Nadu, head east to West Bengal and Odisha, before coming back to get a whiff of the mountains in Uttarakhand and ending their ride full circle at Delhi. The journey will lead them to cover about 7,000 kms over a period of 45 days.
The riders will be travelling through CRY projects or intervention areas in different states, where they will interact with the communities, the on ground workers and children to also capture inspiring stories of hope and lasting change.
Soha Moitra, Regional Director, North, CRY, says, “To see these passionate young men wanting to make a difference in the lives of children in India is heart-warming. We are as excited to see the stories of children through their lens and are glad to be able to be a part of their incredible journey. This goes to show how one can channelize their passion to work for bringing about a change, and is sure to inspire millions of people in India to do their bit for upholding our children’s rights.”
The four friends, who grew up together in Sydney, where they lead a comfortable lifestyle, say they were certain they didn’t want to just volunteer in India and head back home. “We wanted to take up a project that would bring about a lasting change in the lives of children, therefore deciding to take up a project on a larger scale. We hope partnering with CRY, which has an extensive reach to marginalized children across the country, we will be able to make the difference that we have set out to achieve”, says Cameron.
Cameron’s earlier trip to India in 2015, led him to see children here and left a desire in him to come back to make a difference. Combining the love for the culture he experienced in India and love for riding, he got together with friends Scott, Ben and Taylor to start the journey of Ride for Rights. Leaving their current commitments back home, Ben, the youngest of them all at 21, a passionate filmmaker is excited about getting to film a country he has heard so much about and through the work also bring about a quality change.
They hope, through the portrayal of children via their work, they are able to gather as much support as possible for raising funds for their cause. The ride also marks a personal journey of fulfilment for them, as they are determined to experience, empower and change the lives of children while taking up an exhilarating journey of a lifetime.