1st year student tours Bengal on cycle to spread message of peace

Roy aspires to go for a world tour someday. The Backward Classes Welfare (BCW) department has given him a laptop computer, cell phone, books that are required for his studies, rucksack and track suit, for encouragement.

It may be mentioned that while commenting on her pet Sabuj Sathi project, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has always emphasised that the project has reduced the number of school drop-outs and encouraged students to carry on with their studies.

The BCW department has so far distributed 70 lakh bicycles among the students of Classes IX, X, XI and XII of state-run, aided and sponsored schools.

Taking cue from the success of the project, Mamata Banerjee has announced that all students of these schools, who will be promoted to Class IX, will get bicycles.

Roy got the cycle made by Hercules, as a student of Class XI at Sonaullah High School in Jalpaiguri. He set out to cover the blocks on March 16, 2016.

After coming to the North Bengal districts, he reached Murshidabad on July 22, 2016. Out of 341 blocks in Bengal, he has covered 193 blocks.

So far, Roy has covered Birbhum, Nadia, North 24-Parganas and East Burdwan. Roy lost his father when he was one-year-old and his mother when he was studying in Class IX. He passed Madhyamik from Anandamarg High School in Purulia. He came back to Jalpaiguri and was admitted to Sonaullah High School in Commerce stream.

Narrating his story, Roy said "When I was studying in Class IX, I got the cycle and thought that I have no teachers to coach me and so if I go to the districts on cycle, I will able to spread the message and will get help from the teachers. Whenever I reached any school, the teachers gave me coaching."

Roy said the cycle has given him self-confidence. "I spread the message of harmony and peace and wherever I went, people have welcomed me. It is a pleasant experience. The tours have helped me to come across a large number of people and gave me a chance to see Bengal."

Roy is targeting to go for a world tour on his Sabuj Sathi cycle and on holidays, he cycles for several hours to build patience and endurance.