Fifteen cyclists set off an expedition from Kolkata to Bangladesh on Tuesday February 14 to pay homage to the martyrs of Bangladesh on Bhasha Divas on February 21.
Filmmaker Goutam Ghose flagged off the rally in the presence of several officials of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission.
“I had flagged off the event for the first time in 2012. I travelled to Bangladesh before and after that on several occasions and always found it to be a new country. It looks very similar to West Bengal; the streets, farmlands and forests are very similar. It is such a great pleasure to see the endeavour of these people,” said Ghose.
Goutam Ghose adresses the audience at the cycle tour launch
This is the ninth edition of the cycle expedition. “It resumed this year after a two-year break in 2021-22 because of the COVID situation. The expedition has resumed again in 2023,” said Swarojit Roy, one of the cyclists and a member of Bhasha Sutra, the main organiser of the trip. “The warmth and hospitality we receive in Bangladesh has prompted us to go back every year.”
The 15 cyclists who undertake the trip are chosen on a random basis every year. Cyclists from every age group and profession participate. “Apart from a senior citizen and an 11-year-old boy, the team comprises a doctor and a daily wager this time,” said Roy.
The team reached a resort near Sodepur on February 14 evening and set off for Bongaon on February 15 morning. The cyclists are scheduled to cross the border on February 16 and reach Dhaka, via Narail, Bhanga and Mawa on Day 8.