Preaching world peace on wheels

Aizawl, May 15 (UNI) Peddling peace on wheels is their mission and they have covered 94,500 kms to spread the message.

Meet Ranjeet Bacchan and Vijendra Kumar Mishra and the lone girl Kalindi Sharma--three gutsy youths from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district--who started from their homes on February 4, 2002 on bicycles to preach peace, integity and communal harmony.

After visiting 23 states and some parts of the north east, they arrived here yesterday.

''The situation in the world propelled us to embark on this mission. We have covered Northern, Central, Western and Southern India and some parts of the Northeast. Here we are still to visit Nagaland, Arunachal and Manipur,'' Ranjeet Bacchan told UNI here today.

Apart from Indian states, the cyclists have toured Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka.

They expect to end their cycle tour at their home ground by 2012.

The cyclists have no other sponsors except for the high officials of the states they visit. In Mizoram, their expenditure would be met by the DGP.

After visiting the surrounding places of Aizawl and meeting the chief minister, the governor, the chief secretary and the DGP, they will proceed to Manipur on Wednesday.

''We have been to as high as Ladakh and we have crossed the world's highest motorway, the Khardungla Pass, to become the first cyclists to cross this pass,'' informed Vijendra.

Their journey apart from being a roller-coaster ride, had also borne some bad news. Bacchan received the news of his mother passing away. ''I decided to put personal agony aside to continue with my mission,'' he iterated.

UNI