Laxmi Ratan Shukla Cycles 110 Km To Raise Awareness About Pollution

Laxmi Ratan Shukla was one of those few cricketers, who failed to pursue an international career despite having enormous talent in his kitty. He was the all-rounder for Bengal Cricket Team and played under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly as well. A cricketer turned politician, Shukla started a campaign to raise awareness about pollution among the citizens of Bengal by cycling 110 kms.

The former cricketer, on Tuesday, cycled 110 kilometres from Howrah to the Sunderbans in West Bengal to raise awareness about pollution. He was joined the Bengal cricketer Manoj Tiwary in the campaign. They named it ”Dilse” to bring awareness to the public.

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During his journey, Shukla also visited some schools where he interacted with the students and others to make them aware of the different steps that are required to be taken to tackle the increasing level of pollution. He believes pollution is the biggest concern in India, especially in cities like Kolkata and Delhi.

Think about our kids – Laxmi Ratan Shukla

According to Laxmi Ratan Shukla, pollution is the biggest concern of the current times. Thus instead of opting for a usual rally with motor-bikes and cars, he chose to cycle his way in the attempt to raise awareness about the issue.

Before waving off the flag for a rally, the 38-year-old delivered a short speech to a crowd that had gathered in Howrah. Asking the people to reduce their usage of petroleum and plastic, he said, “Just think about our kids, do you want to give them a polluted India and Bengal or a pollution-free India and Bengal.”

Laxmi Ratan Shukla made his ODI debut at a tender age of 17 against Sri Lanka in 1998. However, he played just two ODIs after that and was never considered for national duty again. Shukla is one of the few players with a double of 5000 runs and 150 wickets in Ranji Trophy arena. He has also represented Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL before moving on to the Delhi Daredevils in 2014.