Port Blair Oct 22: It began not with a team or a grand organization — but with the conviction of a single young man from the far-flung Andaman Islands. Driven by determination and a deep sense of purpose, Sekhar Rao, a youth from these remote isles, has embarked on a solo awareness mission under the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’, carrying the message of a drug-free nation from one end of India to the other.
Launched on June 26, 2025 — the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking — from the historic National Memorial Cellular Jail, the campaign titled ‘Dekho Apna Desh, Apna Andaman’ symbolizes both freedom from addiction and pride in the nation’s unity. What makes Sekhar’s journey remarkable is not just the distance he has covered, but the message he carries — that even from the remotest corners of the country, one person’s effort can ignite national awareness.
Over the past 110 days, Sekhar has travelled extensively across the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, visiting places like Bambooflat, Chouldari, Jirkatang, Baratang, Rangat, Mayabunder, Diglipur, Swaraj Dweep, Shaheed Dweep, Little Andaman, and Indira Point — inspiring students, youth, and communities along the way. From there, he sailed onward to the Indian mainland, continuing his mission through Chennai, Bengaluru, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Goa, Mumbai, Vadodara, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Agra, Delhi, and Amritsar, spreading his message of a “Drug-Free India, Drug-Free Youth.”
Supported and appreciated by various local administrations and institutions en route, Sekhar’s effort reflects the power of individual initiative and the spirit of national integration — bridging island and mainland, youth and community, awareness and action.
As he now prepares to take his message to Jammu & Kashmir’s iconic Lal Chowk, Sekhar’s journey stands as a beacon of hope and resilience — proving that the call for a “Nasha Mukt Bharat” can rise even from the smallest islands and echo across the vastness of the nation.
