New Delhi: 26 June 2007: Four motorists have embarked on a 14-day “Bring Tibet to the 2008 games” motorbike rally on Saturday (June 23) from here.
The Olympic campaign rally left under the banner “Nirvana” led by Mr Tsering Topgyal. He is accompanied by four other motorists; Sonam Gyalpo, Meenu Arora, Aruni Chettre and Mohit Sing. Except Mohit who will join the group from Chandigarh, the other four started their rally for Tibet team from New Delhi.
From Chandigarh the group will head straight to Ladhak via Manali, Rothang Pass, Lahaul, Sarchu, Leh and Khardhung La. They will later join with Himalayan Odyssey, a large group of ‘Bullet’ bikers who left Delhi on Monday on a tour through the same route.
The Himalayan Odyssey motorbike tour is being organised by Royal Enfield, a leading motorbike manufacturing company in India.
All along the way the five pro-Tibet motorists will distribute pamphlets and campaign materials related to Tibet. They will frequently halt at places to create awareness on “Support Team Tibet” – a campaign to bring Tibet team to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Support Team Tibet for 2008 Beijing Olympics received general consensus at the Fifth International Tibet Support Groups’ meeting held in Brussels, Belgium in May this year, and has now become a worldwide campaign.
According to www.supportteamtibet.org, the Tibetan National Sports Association (TNSA) based in Dharamsala is to build a Tibetan team for Beijing Olympics.
The return journey of the bike rally will take the team through Manali, Dalhousie, Dharamshala, Palampur and Rewalsar before finally reaching Delhi on the 6th of July 2007 to coincide with the celebration of the exiled Tibetan leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 72nd birthday.
Based on report by ITCO
