The Hindu

Mangalore, Dec 21: His peers perhaps only dream about what 19-year-old B N Roshan, a second-year degree student of Jain College, Bangalore, has set out to do.

Traveling across the length and breadth of the country is part of his 40-day `All Way Round' motorcycling expedition. The mission has been organised by Team Surakasha, a non-governmental organisation, to create awareness on AIDS.

Roshan, who set out from Bangalore on December 15, has covered three States and traveled 1,500 km. He expects to travel nearly 10,000 km. He has so far passed through Madurai, Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kannur before reaching the port city of Mangalore on Wednesday. He will move to North India from Thursday traversing through Udupi, Goa and Ratnagiri.

Roshan told media persons here that it is the encouragement given by Naveen Challam, his father who heads Team Suraksha, and his college authorities that has emboldened him to undertake this arduous task. Awareness about AIDS was low in most rural pockets of the country, especially north India, Roshan said. He hoped to do his bit to create awareness about it.

"I will be traveling to most of the States in north India, except for Bihar and Jharkhand," he said."

"I intend to interact with villagers who have returned from towns and cities as well as truck drivers at dhabas along my route. These are the people who are in the high-risk category. I have prepared brochures and been taught how to convey the message to the masses in a simple yet effective manner," he added.