Naresh Kumar has cycled more than 10,000 kilometers through 13 countries on a tandem bicycle to raise awareness and funds to combat human trafficking. Now, you can join him as he travels from Oregon to DC, inviting strangers to join him on project Freedom Seat.
Born and raised in a suburb of Chennai in South India, Naresh longed to make New Zealand his home after watching the Lord of the Rings films. After 13 years, he was granted a resident visa, and immediately run-hiked the 3,054-kilometer Te Araroa trail unsupported in 87 days (wearing sandals, no less) and raised funds for anti-sex trafficking causes.
The Freedom Seat mission began in New Zealand in 2017, when Kumar rode the length of the country from Cape Reigna to Bluff, picking up strangers and friends along the way to support Tear Fund, an anti-trafficking campaign. “140 people jumped on the bicycle and pedalled with me,” Naresh said in an interview with Apidura. “The youngest was five and the oldest was 84.” His first guest was a British tourist who rode 25 miles in cargo shorts and a cotton tee shirt. After cycling more than 3,000 kilometers, Kumar raised over $50,000 NZD.
In 2019, Kumar embarked on an intercontinental tandem bike adventure, cycling 8,646 kilometers from his hometown of Chennai, India, to Hamburg, Germany, in 87 days. He is now continuing project Freedom Seat in the US, raising funds for worldwide grants that benefit the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery and the 3 Strands Global Foundation.
Naresh is currently riding through Kentucky towards Ohio, and will continue to DC via Pennsylvania. To see if he is riding near your city, visit the tracking map at freedomseat.org or check for updates on social media (Facebook and Instagram) to see where Naresh is heading next.
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