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| Sunday, 12 March 2006 |
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Features |  |
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Mission to visit all countries by 2020: On the road by Vimukthi Fernando Peddling 38,900 kilometres through three countries is his record. Having
been on his bicycle on the road for two years, he hopes to visit all the
countries in the world by 2020 on his mission, before he settles down in his
motherland, India. Spending over 15 years of his life
Somen is in Sri Lanka to spread his message, raising awareness of HIV/AIDS and promoting Yoga and Pranayama meditation techniques among youth, as a way of life leading to prevention and containment of HIV/AIDS. "Yoga and Pranayama are so powerful that it will develop your faculties and keep you away from risky behaviour," he says. He will travel through Colombo, Negombo, Kurunegala, Kandy, Kegalle, Ratnapura, Kalutara and Panadura taking his message to the youth of Sri Lanka. The germ of his mission was planted in his heart when he was 14 years, says Somen. "I read a newspaper article about the death of a man suffering from AIDS. Nobody had been willing to touch him - even to give him a decent burial. The article described the disease as something worse than cancer. I was curious and asked adults and teachers about AIDS, but nobody could tell me what it was," says Somen. Intrigued by mass ignorance he had taken the task upon himself. " I thought I will educate people, if nobody else does." Deviating from the normal aspirations of a 23-year-old graduate to hold a job, have a career, family and comforts "I selected a different pathway. It is exciting, adventurous and gives me a lot of different and enriching experience," says Somen. His mission so far had taken him through 14 states in India and to Myanmar and Bhutan on his bicycle. His message was "welcome, wherever I went even among the armed groups in India. I was surprised at the welcome by an armed group in Assam. They provided me many opportunities to share the message with the community and young people," says Somen. He had shared his message at over 1000 schools, 650 colleges and 24 universities. It is imperative that the youth gain knowledge of HIV/AIDS, he opines. "I have seen a correlation between the level of education, poverty and HIV/AIDS." Somen's specialization is in carrying his message to the poor and the illiterate in the rungs. "I was happy to speak with truck drivers on India's national highway and with sex workers, about HIV/AIDS and meditation techniques,"says Somen. He had scheduled programmes in 34 centres for sex-workers and 93 NGOs. What makes him select a bicycle as his mode of transport for his tour around the world, the Sunday Observer questioned him. "It is the most affordable, manageable and durable mode of transport. Easy to maintain, and light. A bicycle can take you places where no other vehicle can go. Besides, I know my way is full of peril and sometimes I might have to cross rivers and jungles. Then, all what I have to do is to carry the bicycle and walk or swim across," smiles Somen. Any unforgettable experiences on his bicycle? From the many experiences he relates about traversing 275 kilometres through thick forest and sparsely populated villages, from Manipur to Nagaland in India. The road, travelled by a maximum number of three motor-vehicles per day, was shared with elephants, rhinos and leopards, he reminiscences. "It was only determination that carried me through. I strongly felt the power of nature and god." Pix. by Chinthaka Kumarasinghe |
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on a cause is "not a
sacrifice, it is my mission," says Somen Debnath, a 23 year-old graduate
from Basnati, a small village in West Bengal, India. His mission - to create
awareness on HIV/AIDS among all whom he meets, especially the youth and
those involved in risky behaviour due to illiteracy. 
