Delhi to Lahore “People for Peace Cycle Rally” and Praveen Singh
Lahore, Pakistan: My first contact with Praveen Singh was established through Facbook in January 2015. Praveen Kumar Singh studied Buddhism in Department of Buddhist Studies, University of Delhi.
I have been following his activism for the last one year and did not take his travel to Pakistani border last year “seriously”. He called this cycle rally as People for Peace Cycle Rally and I thought his initiative was for taking attention of some donor organization like such initiatives taken by a numbers of Non-government organizations (NGO). I thought this initiative would die down if foreign or local funding would not arrive. I was totally wrong and mistaken.
Praveen Singh is an institution within himself and he does not work for funding or appreciation rather he works for his passions and commitment. He is not NGO Wala—- he is an activist while NGO sector actually came into being after 70s to kill activism in South Asia.
In 2015, he went for hunger strike to for students against raise of room rents. He is multidimensional man but all dimensions are focused to one point –“Fight for a Just Cause”.
He along with his friends initiated the first cycle rally in 2013 from Kanyakumari to Wagah Border while the second was taken out from DU North Campus to Wagah Border in 2014.
Kanyakumari to Wagah Border cycle rally was planned in a wrong weather and students started journey in the middle of June— a very hot weather in sub-continent. Thirteen students decided to start the journey but seven students fell sick before the journey was actually started. Praveen Singh, Vikas, Hars Dev Tomar, Despal, Narayan, Ramsewak and Radhyashyam left Kanyakumari on June 1 and their destination was Islamabad. Journey was planned to finish in 90 days.
On their way to Wagha Border, they went to Bangalore University and St Joseph’s College and collected signatures to support their expedition. The signatures collected during the campaign were sent to the Government of India and the office of the Pakistani High Commissioner in Delhi. Five more students joined the rally on way and a group of 12 students covered a distance of 3,800 kms on bicycles and reached Wagah border on August 15.
Second rally was another success and this time 50 students of Delhi University started cycling to Wagah Border on August 1 to celebrate Independence days of India and Pakistan.
The rally started from Arts Faculty, North Campus of Delhi University and students kept traveling to Wagha border while promoting peace at different educational institutions of Indian Punjab and Haryana.Now, on January 1, 2016, a group of 25 students from different universities of India started cycling from India Gate Delhi to Wagah Border Lahore for Indo-Pak peace and Praveen Singh is again heading the journey.
Praveen believes that India and Pakistan are challenging each other by wasting billions of dollars in arms while cost of a bullet used in rifle can be used to fill hungry stomachs in both nations.
“The issues confronting us range from regional to global. Regional issues like scarcity of hospitals, hostels for students, availability of clean drinking water, toilets, etc. are yet to be resolved. Moreover, issues like peace on borders, economic stability of South East Asian region and prosperity of down-trodden are issues confronting the third world countries which need to be addressed,” he believes. The cycle rally will reach the Wagah Border on January 15. I believe cycle rally will receive a positive response from both side of Indo-Pak border and such real initiatives will continue to raise the voice of sanity—- The Peace.
This article is written by A.I. Haroon
