The peaceniks on wheels, who began their journey on June 1 in Kanyakumari, were in the capital on Sunday. They plan to make it to the Wagah border around Independence Day. One of their key appeals is that India and Pakistan should have a joint two-day independence celebration on August 14 and 15. The group is carrying a petition demanding lasting peace between India and Pakistan. They plan to deliver the petition, which has over 5,000 signatures, to the prime ministers of both countries.
Leading the pack is 30-year-old Praveen Kumar Singh. Singh, who hails from Ghazipur, UP, is a student of Buddhist Studies at Delhi University and is the convener of Delhi University Students for Peace. "On our way we have met students, farmers, professionals — all kinds of people. Everybody has supported us. If the people are aware, the governments of India and Pakistan will also pay more attention to this issue," he says. The group managed to get an audience with Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit and a support letter from Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.
Frail, short and thin, Dr Oza is accompanied by five other senior citizens from Gujarat. She says that the group has managed to find food and accommodation either in various places of worship or in dharamshalas and is looking forward to reaching Wagah with a mix of excitement and anxiety. "I don't know how visa officials at the border will react to a group of people just cycling through," she says.
The group came together after about two months of offline and online campaigning. Singh says the idea of a road trip on bicycles came to him when a group of students were peacefully protesting against the lack of a hostel at Delhi University. The administration, he says, told them that they didn't have the funds to construct one. "That set me thinking. All over the country, we are short of funds for various welfare activities because of the amount we spend on defence. Which is why we thought peace between neighbours would be fundamental to development in other areas," says Singh, who travels light with a change of two sets of clothing packed in a small backpack and hopes to do similar trips to Dhaka and Beijing.
With minimal luggage, the group has done over 3,000km so far on regular bicycles with no special features to aid them on rough terrains. In fact, the only gear bike in the group belongs to 18-year-old Faisal Latif. A geography student from Jamia Millia Islamia University, he joined the group in Delhi for the remainder of the journey. Latif cycled from Kashmir to Kanyakumari last year. But this trip beyond the border will perhaps be the more special one.
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