A 59-year-old IFS officer of Maharashtra has set a new example for environmentalists and a new benchmark for fitness enthusiasts, by cycling 249 kms from Pune to Kolhapur to join his new posting. 1985-batch SFS and 2006-batch IFS officer Nanasaheb Ladkat has just completed his cyclothon and is currently the talk of the town, everybody marvelling at his fitness levels.
Mr. Ladkat, who turned 59 a few months ago, cycled in the scorching sun and reached Kolhapur in 17 hours, covering 249 km, amid a heatwave. Born to a farmer’s family in a small village named Karwadi near Kopargaon in Ahmednagar district, he joined the Maharashtra Forest Department Services on January 1, 1986, and in 2006, he was nominated to Indian Forest Service.
Indian Masterminds interacted with the jovial IFS officer, who is now posted in Kolhapur as Field Director and Conservator of Forest of Sahayadri Tiger Reserve, and asked him about his inspiring cyclothon, and whether there was a hidden message in it, too.
PUNE TO KOLHAPUR ON CYCLE
During his postings in different terrains, Mr. Ladkat developed interest in nature trails, trekking and exploring the forests. Since then, he has been regularly exploring new places and, in his 36 years of service, he has trekked to over 35 forts and has done foot patrolling of several hundred kilometres.
Talking to Indian Masterminds, Mr. Ladkat said, “I was posted in Pune till now and my office was 16 kms from home. So, this time, I had taken a New Year’s resolution that I will go to office by bicycle, at least once a week. That’s why I started cycling from January 1 this year. I cycled to and from office every Monday. When I got to know that I have been transferred to Kolhapur, I thought why not cycle down and send out a message. I wanted to draw people’s attention to the need for reduction of the use of diesel and petrol to improve the environment and move towards a greener world.”
The officer further stressed on the importance of the need to spread the message of saving our forests, which, he says, is a complex and sensitive issue. Now that he has been able to capture people’s attention by his solo cyclothon, he hopes he can ‘ride’ home the message of the importance of conserving forests and protecting wildlife.
”Actually, I didn’t tell anyone that I was going to cycle down. I wanted people to know only after I completed the mission. But, some people saw me on the way and soon the word spread. My exact moving time in this journey was 11 hours and 59 minutes, although the total hours was 17 hours. I had left at 2 am on 30 March and reached at 7am on 31 March. On the way, I stopped at many places, met many people, talked to them, and virtually attended office meetings, too.”
MESSAGE TO YOUNGER GENERATION
Ruing the fact that nowadays, the younger generation is either busy on mobile or computers and rarely plays any outdoor games, Mr. Ladkat said, “I would like to appeal to the youngsters to take out some time to take part in activities like nature trails, wildlife safaris, trekking, cycling, etc. It will not only benefit your health but will also help spread the message of the need for protecting our forests and wildlife. And, if you stay fit, you will be able to do everything better in life!”
STARTED CYCLING AS A HOBBY
Before embarking on this cyclothon, Mr. Ladkat used to cycle regularly, doing 25-50 kms frequently. Cycling, for him, started as a hobby. “My earlier cycling sessions never crossed 60 km limit in a day. However, when I was transferred to Kolhapur, I decided to cycle the entire distance. I took breaks in between as the heat was suffocating. The Khambhatki Ghat stretch between Pune and Satara districts was quite challenging, but I managed it.”
Mr. Ladkat has now taken over as the Field Director and Conservator of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, which is spread across Satara and Kolhapur and also includes parts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.
