This guy sold his Noida flat to distribute free helmets to bikers

Better known as Helmet Man of India, 36-year-old Raghvendra Singh, who always wears a helmet even when driving a car, has given out over 56,000 helmets across the nation and has saved the lives of 30 individuals in just over ten years. He is currently having trouble continuing the safety effort, though. In order to purchase helmets for motorcyclists who don't wear them, he has already sold his Greater Noida apartment and even taken out a loan against his wife's jewellery.

In a two-minute video that went popular on social media, a young man was seen riding his two-wheeler on the Agra-Lucknow expressway at above 100 kmph without a helmet. Unexpectedly, he was stopped by a car with the words ``Yamraj ne bheja hai bachaane ke liye, upar jagha nahi jaane ke liye" written on the rear windscreen. Raghvendra came out of the car and handed the bike rider a helmet, requesting that he use it the rest of the way.



"Call me a madman, but I'll continue with my endeavour for road safety. In the next few weeks I'll shift back to my ancestral village Bhadari of Kaimur district in Bihar, as I cannot sustain the expense of buying helmets and taking care of my family simultaneously. I have a six-year-old son (Ansh Singh) whom I am planning to get admitted to a government school in my village as a cost-cutting measure, but I'll continue to buy helmets and save lives," said Raghvendra.

The tragic death story of his friend inspired Raghvendra, a former legal advisor to numerous international corporations who is now a full-time volunteer for road safety.

"Back in March 2014, I lost my close friend Krishan Kumar Thakur in a road accident in Greater Noida. He was helmet-less when he had an accident with his two-wheeler. He was the sole child of his parents and was born after 20 years of their marriage. I just couldn't get over the pain of this loss and since that day I decided to give a helmet to any person who is riding a two-wheeler without a helmet," said Singh, who currently lives in rented accommodation in Greater Noida.

Vikram Singh, an Indore resident who Raghvendra donated a helmet to after spotting him riding a two-wheeler without one in Delhi last month, managed to survive a car accident a week later in Kota. Vikram's head was spared by the helmet, but his two-wheeler was irreparably damaged.

Even Nitin Gadkari, the minister of transportation by land and air, has praised Raghvendra for his work to promote road safety.

"I was lauded for my efforts by the Union minister and even by some other prominent personalities including actors, but I never got support for which I'm sad, but have no regrets. My only goal is to save lives for my friend. I hope someday, someone with better resources will join me in this endeavour. Right now, it's just my wife Dhanlaxmi Singh and son who support me unconditionally," said Raghvendra.

Raghvendra intends to continue his endeavour while residing at the Bihar home of his father, Radhey Shyam Singh.