A CHARITY cyclist who rode from London to India was robbed at gunpoint, but still completed his mammoth journey.
Srini Alluri, who lives in Bradley Stoke, was threatened on the Turkish leg of the 11,350km ride he completed to promote a more "healthy, happy and harmonious world".
The selfless 39-year-old is the president of the charity Manavata and was featured in the Evening Post before he started his challenge last June.
Looking back on the trials and tribulations he experienced along the way, he recalled the scary episode in Turkey when his life was suddenly endangered.
"To cut a long story short, I was threatened by a person with a gun," he said. "I stood firm and put my hands up. I had my camera stolen from me and the thief sped away in his car.
"As luck would have it, I called the authorities and the police, with the assistance of the armed forces, caught the culprit and my stolen camera was recovered."
But looking back, he said: "It was wonderful experience and we are thankful to all those who helped spread the awareness and inspiration."
Leaving London with a small team on June 25, Mr Alluri took in 14 European and Asian countries over 109 days.
He estimates he came into contact with more than 50,000 people, reaching his original destination of New Delhi on October 2 – the 142nd anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi – after 100 days. Later, Mr Alluri carried on and rode to Kashmir.
About 200 cyclists joined in at various stages, with Mr Alluri's friend Raj Marni riding 1,800km from London to Austria at his side.
But it was not all plain sailing as Mr Alluri experienced a number of setbacks along the way.
He had a three-day delay in Iran waiting for a Pakistani visa, which was later indefinitely delayed and caused him to take an alternative route.
In 1991, Mr Alluri set up the Manavata charity, which carries out humanitarian work and raises awareness of living a sustainable lifestyle.
The IT architect said: "During my journey, I managed to spread awareness of blood donation as part of humanity awareness programs.
"I made a blood donation one day before my cycling started and donated blood at the completion of my cycling in India.
"I hope this has motivated many young people towards voluntary blood donation and also given confidence to first-time donors.
"Each of us sustain our lives entirely with the resources our planet provides us, so it is our duty and a gratifying act to protect our planet and take responsibility to change it for the better."
Mr Alluri rode through England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Iran and India.
For more information about the charity, visit www.manavata.org.
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