Sheela Rani Chunkath was the district collector of Pudukkottai. In 1991 as a part of the female literacy drive, she wanted to train female literacy activists so that hierarchy would reach in the interior. She had realized that the lack of mobility among played a big role in undermining their confidence. Therefore, she included ‘mobility’ as a part of the literacy drive. Naturally, the literacy activists learned cycling first. This inspired the neo-literates also to learn cycling. This, in turn, inspired every woman in the village to learn cycling. The literates, having become neo-cyclists, encouraged every woman in the district to learn cycling, by organizing ‘cycle training camps’. Thus, Sheela Rani Chunkath became instrumental in ‘cycling’ becoming a social movement in Pudukkottai district.
