Srinagar 18 Feb 2015. The cycle expedition “Sailab Se Salamti Tak” from Srinagar to Delhi comprising of 19 youth from the flood affected regions of Kashmir Valley led by Maj Vishesh Arora returned back safely on 17 February 2015. The cycle expedition participated in a series of events and interacted with many senior dignitaries en route. The cyclists carried the message of the spirit of Kashmiri youth that enabled the flood ravaged lives to spring back to normalcy, to share the cultural strength of Kashmir, to showcase the joint efforts of Jawan and Awaam in saving precious human lives in the Valley during the recent flash floods and their homogeneous manner in making efforts towards relief and restoration.
The cycle Expedition had cycled a total distance of around 1000 Km across Banihal, Udhampur, Jammu, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Ambala, Karnal and Delhi. Today, the cycle expedition was welcomed in by Maj Gen Asit Mistry, GOC, Kilo Force at Shalateng Garrison, Sharifabad at 12.30 PM. These participants, who had created awareness on Kashmiri literature, customs and traditions enroute, on their return, shared memories of visiting many historic places including the Qutab Minar, Taj Mahal, Lal Qila and India Gate. They also visited AIMT (Army Institute of Management and Technology) & AIE (Army Institute of Education) and went through exciting interactions while exchanging experiences of cycling across the three states of J&K, Haryana and Punjab before entering Delhi. The members of the Expedition also attended the Cultural Festival of Hindu College where they were received by the Student’s Parliament and were given pride of place in the Event ‘Musha’ira’. Apart from sharing the knowledge on the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir, the participants played a documentary on the Kashmir floods highlighting the role of youth during floods. Amongst the highlights of the Cycle Expedition was the participants interactions with the Supreme Commander of the Armed forces, the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and the Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh. Both the President and the Army Chief commended the spirit of Kashmiri youth and appreciated the role of Kashmiri youth to spring back to normalcy after the devastating flash floods.
The Army and Awaam welcomed back the cyclists who returned after pedalling more than 1000 kms and had gone through a life time experience over the last 18 days. Each of the participants was presented with a memento as a memoir of their interaction by the General Officer. A sense of pride & achievement was seen in these young hearts, and they expressed the wish to participate in many more such events. The Expedition not only gave these youth an opportunity to have a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage and modernization but also provided them the opportunity to interact with various intellectuals. The youth and their families had expressed deep gratitude to the Army for sponsoring this Cycle Expedition.