Dilip Kumar Bhattacharjee

VISAKHAPATNAM: "All my life as a Railway employee I paid tax to the Government. Today I am a retired person and surviving on the pension that is funded by the taxpayers. I feel it is my moral duty to give back something to them. And hence I embarked on this 9,000-km trek,'' says 65-year-old Dilip Kumar Bhattacharjee from Sreerampore in West Bengal.

He is on a trek along the coastline of the country from Ganga Sagar in West Bengal to Rann of Kutch in Gujarat to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the scaling of Kanchenjunga peak and to spread the theme of `Bharat Jodo' (Unite India). He started on October 2, 2005, and plans to complete his arduous mission by December 2006.

Gandhian to the core

"I am a strong believer of Gandhian philosophy. But today a few politicians are trying to divide the country on these narrow lines for their own selfish goals. I want to highlight this fact all along the route. I was pained to see that in some places in Orissa the evil of untouchability still exists,'' he averred.

But how? According to him, walking is the best way to meet more number of people. "I walk at least 30 km on a daily basis. People come to meet me out of curiosity and I take this opportunity to express my ideas. And as far as language is concerned, if there is a will to express, language is no hindrance.''

Previous records

This is not the first time that Mr. Bhattacharjee had taken up an expedition. He is a seasoned and trained mountaineer and has conducted over 50 mountaineering expeditions on the Himalayas. In 2003, he cycled for 171 days covering over 9,000 km. from Jammu to Arunachal Pradesh to venerate the 50th anniversary of the scaling of the Everest by Tenzing and Hillary and to propagate the idea of pollution-free Himalayas. In 2004 he trekked from Ganga Sagar to Goumukh via Yamunotri." He is now on his way to Chennai touching almost all the coastal towns and villages in Andhra Pradesh.

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