My Umeed 1000 km cyclothon experience from Mumbai to Bangalore. Presentation made on Google Day India

1. I can…I will

2. There comes a time…
We all reach the edge…
Edge of reason
Edge of rationality
Edge of monotony
Edge of excuses
There is no more road…
Just you and the next
level

3. Inspiration has no anatomy…
Inspiration is the
ability to latch on to
that fleeting moment
when you can relate to
and truly empathize
with a real problem
you can help solve…

4. When passion meets motivation…
How can a recreational
cyclist take on a 1000
kms ride?
How can you raise 10
lacs for a disease no one
has heard of?
Why are you behaving
like a 20 year old at 45?
Who will buy your kms?

5. The road often opens up to
meet you
If you take the first step…
I started meeting sponsors
Pitched to friends, family
and beyond
Finalized the equipment
Started practicing my
thank you speech 

6. The journey begins…
Surround yourself with the right people
Songita Verma
Bloggers Mind
Faisal Thakur
Pro 9 bicycle studio
Swapnil Kokam
Fitness trainer
Dr. Suresh
Physiotherapist
Choose people who are very
competent in their work and
share your passion for the cause

7. Make a clear proposition across all media…
Sincere appeal
via email to a
wide range of
people across my
network to
inform them of
the cause and
what I am doing
and what I expect
from them…

8. Make a clear proposition across wide media…
Radio interview
with famous RJ
Hrikesh Kannan
on 94.3 FM
which reaches a
limited but the
right TG

9. Make a clear proposition across wide media…
Article in ET
Panache across
India to spread the
word about the
disease and the
ride

10. Make a clear proposition across wide media…
Reaching
international
audiences through
‘Indian in NY’
newspaper

11. Make a clear proposition across wide media…
Appeal to Indian
and US audience
using online
portal rediff.com
This article
generated almost
additional
contribution of
Rs. 50k within
two days of being
published

12. Make a clear proposition across wide media…
Invest in long
format.
Full presentation
on Eye cancer and
the ride uploaded
on Slideshare
Shared by many
friends on their
FB pages
amplifying the
message

13. Make a clear proposition across wide media…
Social media
played a vital role
in creating
awareness and
keeping everyone
updated on the
ride on a daily
basis
The Umeed 1000
page got many
shares and likes

14. People reach out…
As a result of the
radio interview
Ketto.org reached
out and offered an
online payment
gateway to collect
funds for the ride
We collected close
to Rs.2 lacs from
this online
gateway

15. People start believing in your vision…
Soon we had seven
companies on
board as sponsors
giving us the
much needed wind
in the sails by
contributing
Rs. 14 lacs
We also received
almost Rs. 10 lacs
from 124
individual donors

16. “Life is a long lesson in humility” (J.M. Barrie)
Experience is a
process of
discovering or re-
discovering the
meaning of words
we use everyday
Some words that
humbled me…

17. Unconditional support…
We got some
really great
unconditional
support.
Famous Bollywood
actress Tamanaah
flagged off the event
More than 50 people
with cycles to
encourage me
Social media coverage

18. Unconditional support…
Friends created
special tweets
and posts
during the ride
and shared it on
their walls.
This resulted in
real time
support and
helped us raise
another Rs. 50k

19. Staying the course…
True courage is to do
the same monotonous
thing over and over
Keep pedaling and
churn out
kilometers…one at a
time
Put your head down,
keep glaring at the
white strip of paint
hugging the shoulder
of the road

20. Wonderment…
Small things that
we take for granted
can be a great source
of wonder
The warmth of the
first rays of the Sun
on my face never
cease to amaze me

21. Wonderment…
The shades of green
that fields morph into
depending on the time
of day
Relativity is cool.
Normally we fail to
appreciate these
things while
whizzing past in our
cars

22. Wonderment…
The quirky nuances of
human nature
Unknown people like Padma
Ladge (cancer survivor)
became a star campaigner
and helped me reach a
network that was beyond
my purview
While people I had listed as
‘safe bets’ were a ‘no show’

23. Pure joy…
Difference between
Happiness and Joy
Joy=Happiness in 3D 
Joy is the rain hitting
your face like pellets
at 45 kmph while you
travel downhill on a
slick water laden road
Heady mix of risk
and abandonment
makes you live in the
moment

24. Pure joy…
We distributed special
Braille watches to
kids at the school for
the blind in Belgaum.
They felt the dial and
could not stop telling
time to each other.
An act we pass off as
trivial brought so
much joy to these kids
Time stood still…

25. Pain…
Battered and bruised on second day in Satara with 800kms to go
Quadriceps gave up on the 7th day. Had to be strapped on both legs
“Dar ke agge jeet hai” 

26. Grace…
Was I chosen for this
mission?
That truck could have
knocked me down…
The pain could have
been worse
Our lives compared to
the kids under
treatment

27. Lessons learnt…
Enjoy all important milestones…big and small

28. Lessons learnt…
Have fun along the way…

29. Lessons learnt…
Carry your team and keep them motivated…

30. Lessons learnt…
Never lose sight of the end
target…raising maximum money
Have genuine empathy for your
customers…be in their midst

31. THANK YOU
jasmeetsg@outlook.com