Trilegal lawyer cycles from Bombay to Delhi for cancer charity

Arindam Madhurrya, an Associate at Trilegal’s Bombay office, recently cycled from Bombay to Delhi to raise funds for the NGO, CanKids that works with children suffering from cancer. In an e-mailed interview with Bar & Bench, the lawyer talks about why he chose to cycle for CanKids, almost getting killed in Bombay and what it takes to prepare for something like this..Bar & Bench: What prompted you to take up this ride?.Arindam Madhurrya: I have been cycling for a bit and have done long distance rides in Europe where I was based until last year. But this ride was more personal. I had seen my friend suffer as a result of cancer when she lost her godmother to the disease in the early part of 2013. Whilst I had tried to console her, I felt a terrible sense of helplessness and realized that the entire family must have felt the same. It was at that point that I had promised to do a ride to support a cancer charity so that some lives can be saved and at least one family will be spared the loss that my friend’s family had to suffer. So, that has been the real motivation..B&B: How did you narrow in on CanKids? .AM: After moving to India, I started looking around for NGOs that work with cancer patients and I found that CanKids was doing a terrific job helping children in their fight against cancer. Apart from providing medical support during their treatment, the organisation also provides educational and psychological support for the patients and their families. So, I thought that it was an organisation worth supporting..B&B: When did you first visit CanKids? How have the children reacted to you and your plans? .AM: I got in touch with CanKids in the middle of February and shared my ideas. Because it has presence both in Delhi and Bombay apart from other cities, we could get things moving very quickly. As I have borne the expenses for the ride myself, there were not many discussions around logistics. So, we could get down to the fundraising stage straightaway. The charity was of course thrilled as were the children. I am not sure if the children realised the importance of fund raising, and it should remain that way. But it was very touching to meet the kids. I knew that the money that I would raise would make sure that at the very least, a few more lives would be saved. And this awareness kept me motivated throughout..B&B: What was the toughest part of the Bom-Del cycle ride? .AM: I completed the ride in eight days, and did not find it particularly tough apart from the fact that it was terribly hot which made riding impossible between noon and about 4pm. Also, a massive truck hit me even before I had left the municipal limits of Bombay. I still have no idea how I survived that, and immediately my thoughts went to the people I was riding in memory of, and believed that wherever they were, they must have saved me. Rather miraculously, I wasn’t hurt and the only damage was a massive dent on my seat-stay. The fact that I had survived what could have easily been a fatal accident led me to believe that the rest of the ride would go well..B&B: How did you balance law firm life and the training schedule? .AM: I usually ride for an hour or so in the morning before work, and a few hundred kilometres during weekends. I also take good care of my diet with loads of vegetables, meat and fish and usually stay away from junk. Being a corporate lawyer, it is impossible to train as hard as one would wish but I was reasonably happy with my training schedule..I believe that if one is disciplined with oneself, it is not difficult to train for events like these. There are some lawyers at Trilegal who are quite active in other tough sports such as marathon running. So I think that balancing sports with work is all about self-discipline, and I have not faced any problems so far..Apart from that, Trilegal has been exceptional in terms of supporting my cause. In addition to hosting events for CanKids at both our Mumbai and Delhi offices, a major portion of the funds that I have raised have come through donation from our lawyers..B&B: Any advice for those looking to do something similar?.AM: I think that the key is to be disciplined, and one should never underestimate the importance of training when attempting something like this. Also, one needs to bear in mind that long distance cycling can be not only physically very demanding, but also emotionally draining as one spends hours riding with no company whatsoever. However, if one is reasonably fit and disciplined, it is not very tough..Click here for more information on CanKids.