KUALA LUMPUR, September 19 — A group of bikers from the Santana Riderz Malaysia Club are set to embark on a biking expedition from Malaysia to Pakistan, passing through five counties for a meaningful cause.
The objective of their long adventure is to raise awareness and funds for paediatric cancer patients of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) in conjunction with the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Devji, the founder of Sikhism.
The expedition is slated to flag off on September 25 at 6am from the 121-year-old Gurdwara Sahib Polis at Jalan Balai Polis in Kuala Lumpur.
The convoy will ride through Thailand, Myanmar and India before concluding the ride in Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, the birth place of Guru Nanak.
The club president Jas Pall Singh, 46, said this would be their first-ever longest charity ride and aims to support children who have cancer at a young age.
“We hope we’ll be able to ease the hardship of families who are suffering both emotionally and financially.”
He also noted that the reason why NCSM was chosen was because the club aims to help children, regardless of race, religion and background.
“That’s in line with the theme of our ride, ‘Sarbat Da Bhala,’ which means blessings for everyone regardless of race or religion.
Apart from the fundraising efforts, Jas Pall said the club also has a “550 Trees Planting project” in various places leading up to Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary.
The motorbike convoy will consist of 17 riders who will be journeying across five countries for almost 40 days and 16,000 kilometres.
Jas Pall said six riders will kick off the journey from KL while the rest will join the convoy along the way.
He also highlighted that the self-funded expedition will approximately cost each rider about RM12,000 to cover the fuel, food and accommodation.
Established by Rajinder Pal Singh, Avtar Singh and Baldave Singh in 1979, the 46-member non-profit organisation has been actively organising charitable programmes for underprivileged communities all over Malaysia through their riding events.
Some of their recent initiatives include the Sikh Malacca Gurudwara ride, tree planting rides for all Malaysian Sikh Gurdwaras and a charity ride to the Royal Commonwealth Carnival in Damansara Heights.
The club also organises the annual Samelen rides with a mission to promote unity among Sikh community and usher Guru Granth Sahib to the Gurudrwara in Khalsa land.
Interested contributors may surf over here to make a donation to NCSM.