Bhubaneswar: Peter Ngugi, a software engineer-turned-cyclist from Kenya, is on a cycle trip to create awareness against racial prejudice and strengthen India's bond with the African continent.

Ngugi started his 6,700-km trip from Shillong and is now in Odisha. His initiative, Pedal for Peace, is a campaign to address this issue and ascertain the deeply embedded reasons for the rising friction between the Indian society and African diaspora in India.

As a part of the campaign, Ngugi will travel across India from Shillong to Kanyakumari and then to Delhi on a bicycle while interacting with people, interviewing them en route and capturing their response through the means of video and textual documentation. "I have faced discrimination in my life. People called me ïong (black) because of my skin colour elsewhere. But, I have not felt anything like that in India till now," he said.

Ngugi has been going around meeting interesting people across Odisha. During his stay here, he has met many people working in the social sector and has exchanged ideas about how the youth can be more empowered and more driven towards community service.

"I am here to make friends irrespective of their background or skin colour. I have had a wonderful experience here," said Ngugi, who has travelled to places such as Chilika, Cuttack and Sambalpur. He will stay in Bhubaneswar for a week before leaving for Andhra Pradesh.

Ngugi aims to collect information throughout his trip which will be analysed and used to "propound a pragmatic solution for mitigating the situation and further fostering Indo-Afro bonds of friendship and brotherhood".

"We should all support people like Ngugi who are fighting against racial discrimination. We wanted to show him the warmth of the Odia people. I am sure he will be safe throughout his journey across the country," said Rudra Narayan Samantaray from Jai Odisha, who has partnered with Ngugi on this odyssey to promote cultural exchange in the state.