Three cyclists on a global tour to save environment
With the world already experiencing impacts of global warming, different countries and national and international organisations are taking numbers of measures to tackle the challenges related to the climatic change. But three Nepalese youths chose a different path to promote green practices.
They left their homes with bicycles on a world tour, to raise awareness about environment conservation. During the tour, they are also spreading the message of peace when the world is experiencing violence in different forms.
"Actually we are guests in the planet for 80 to 90 years. During this period, if we could do something for a better society, country, for the Mother Earth, our lives would be meaningful," Anish Dhakal, the team's leader, told The Daily Star on Saturday.
Anish, an environment activist, and social workers Dilip Chhetri and Nirmal Baral, started their world tour from Mahendranagar near the India-Nepal border on December 30 last year.
With the banner, "Wold Bicycle Tour for Environmental Protection and World Peace", the trio has cycled their way through Uttar Pradesh to reach New Delhi on January 4. Then, they came to the Benapole border in Jessore on January 21 through Kolkata and then to Dhaka.
From Dhaka, they left for Sylhet on Sunday. During their stay in Bangladesh, they got cooperation of BDCyclists, the biggest cyclists' group in the country.
Anish, 21, and Dilip, 22, are students of Bachelor of Business Studies (BSS) in a college in Kathmandu while Nirmal Baral, 38, is a BSS graduate involved with several voluntary organisations. All of them are members of a local youth organisation Dynamic Hands.
"With the thought of doing something for the Mother Earth, we started our world tour to give a message to the people everywhere. We set out of our home in November and completed cycling across our country,” he said.
Asked how this tour will serve their purpose, he said, "We just want to connect with the media. If only one gets motivated [getting information from media], we would be content. Because, one can change 10 others like a domino effect."
Anish continued, "We take food, shelter, and everything from the environment. We're only taking, but not giving anything. Since we are not giving back, we thought why not work for its protection?"
"No one is immortal, and a man will ultimately die, so why don't we start loving instead of hating people?" he said, explaining his urgency for world peace.
Nirmal, a father of two, said their families were giving full support to their endeavour. "Actually our families encouraged us [for the tour],” he said.
While pedalling their ways across the countries, all that the three have often had to eat was chocolate bars, said Dilip Chhetri with a broad smile.
Today they leave for their next destination, Sri Lanka. "We will go there by air as it is an island," said Nirmal.
He added that government officials in Nepal were providing them with administrative support through their missions in other countries. “But we did not get any sponsor,” he added.
From Sri Lanka, they will head to Myanmar and then to Thailand.
"We have planned a five-year tour. We will continue our tour for two years without a break,” he said. "And finally, we have a plan to write a book about it."
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