Naresh Kumar, Bedrock's Chief Ambassador, writes about his experience riding a tandem bike solo from India to Germany while raising funds to combat human trafficking in his home country and beyond. The film Freedom Seat documents Naresh's beautiful journey and illuminates the tragedy of modern day human slavery and trafficking.
Note for viewers: The film discusses and interviews survivors of human trafficking and those with sensitivities please be aware before watching.
Some adventures transform a person. The sleepless nights, the euphoric feelings, the conscious decision made to suffer through the heat and cold, day and night on the endless road, to recover and regain the strength, push forward only to sink deeper at the end of the day, the struggle to stay awake and do it over and over, hoping to get Hamburg Germany.
The Freedom seat India To Germany film is the story of my solo tandem bike journey from India to Germany pedaling with strangers along the way to help raise awareness on human trafficking and raise funds to help the victims of bonded labor slavery.
Following the success of Freedom Seat New Zealand in 2017, I embarked on another big adventure. The mission was to ride from Chennai, India to Hamburg, Germany on a tandem inviting random strangers and friends to pedal with me to raise funds to help the victims of bonded labor slavery. An 8,646 km intercontinental adventure covering 14 counties across two continents. 180 strangers and friends from 18 nationalities joined me on this mission carrying the message #EndSlaveryNow.
The film coveys important message on modern-day slavery with humility and authenticity.
The release of Freedom Seat is made even more poignant during the Coronavirus pandemic, which has put the world’s vulnerable people in even more danger. The global pandemic has exposed millions to the risk of trafficking, especially in developing countries. Covid-19 has made vulnerable people even more vulnerable. Loss of livelihood due to forced shutdowns has made many people desperate for survival. This creates a terrible scenario for perpetrators to prey on vulnerable people, especially women and children.
For me, the most important message Freedom Seat is an awareness of how our actions can directly impact the causes of trafficking. Human trafficking is the result of the failure of our societies and economies to protect the most vulnerable and enforce rights under national laws. It is critical that viewers are mindful of their consumption and ensure that the products and services they use are sustainably made, both socially and environmentally.
I am excitedly planning a similar ride across the US, Freedom Seat USA, pending pandemic restrictions, which I hope to embark on towards the end of 2021.
ML
March 04, 2021
What an awesome cause and very inspiring. The film was well done.
Thank You very much for sharing.
Be Well.