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It's a warm February afternoon in Kolkata. A group of men on bicycles wearing red jerseys are gathered on a street near Esplanade. Someone among the audience points to a yellow banner attached to a bike, "Look at that, isn't it a beautiful quote?" He is a journalist from Dhaka who is in Kolkata to cover the launch of this unique cycle rally from Kolkata to Dhaka. The line he is pointing to says, "Bangla kokhono hoyena bhaag, Bangla bhashaye amara ek." It roughly translates to "Bangla will never be divided, we are united in our love for the Bangla language."
The cyclists are people from all walks of life, here for the 10th edition of Bhasha Sutra, the Indo-Bangla Cross Border International Cycle Rally. Flagged off on February 15, the rally will see 13 people cycle from Kolkata to Dhaka, covering more than 350km in seven days, arriving in Dhaka on February 21.
This is no ordinary cycling expedition, though. It is an adventure of a different kind, as the annual rally commemorates Bhasha Dibas, which is celebrated on February 21.
Every year on February 21, International Mother Language Day is observed to celebrate linguistic and cultural diversity around the world. UNESCO declared this day in 1999 to recognise the Bangladeshi Language Movement and officially named it International Mother Tongue Day. In Bangladesh, February 21 has been honoured as National Martyr's Day since 1952. The day commemorates the sacrifices made by Bangladeshis to establish Bangla as the state language of then-East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The movement to reclaim Bangla started after the then Governor-General of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, declared that “Urdu, and only Urdu” could be the common state language for both parts of Pakistan.
"Ekushe February," or February 21, holds special significance for Bengalis worldwide who celebrate it as Bhasha Dibas or Shahid Dibas. It is a day of great significance for Bangladesh and West Bengal, two countries that may be separated by borders but are united by language. On this day, they commemorate the sacrifices made by people in East Bengal (now Bangladesh) for Bangla, their mother tongue. It is a day to remember and honour the brave souls who fought for the recognition of their language and culture. The celebration also serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving the language, unique identity, and heritage of Bengalis.
This year, the 100 Miles Bhasha Sutra team began their rally from the Press Club in Kolkata after an event which had several well-known individuals from different fields talk about the importance of promoting cross-border relations.
The route for the rally to Dhaka changes every year. This year, the first stop will be via Sodepur-Barasat-Benapole-Magura-Faridpur-Dhaka. The group will pay homage to the martyrs at Kendriya Shahid Minar, Dhaka, on February 21.
The Bhasha Sutra cycling event, which is being supported by the tourism ministry this year, has taken on the theme of "Travel For Life". The participants have taken a pledge to adopt a planet-friendly lifestyle and show respect for local culture and heritage during their travels. The pledge was taken after 100Miles, Bhasha Sutra received the International IRCT (International Centre for Responsible Tourism) Award for Responsible Tourism, 2023. Incidentally, Swarojit Roy, the founder of 100Miles, came up with the idea for this event in 2012 and remains the only member to have participated in all ten editions of the event.
The flag-off event was graced by the presence of several prominent figures, such as Ranjan Sen, the first secretary of Bangladesh Deputy High Commission; Sagnik Chowdhury, IAS, the regional director of the Tourism Ministry; and Syed Tanveer Nasreen, former first secretary of culture at the Indian High Commission in Maldives, and head of the history department at Burdwan University.
Singers from the Gaanpanthi music group of Kolkata and members of the Bangladesh Travel Writers Association were also present at the event.
Seventy-something Tapan Kumar Roy, who has gone on earlier cycle rallies to Dhaka, is sitting this one out due to health reasons. But he is here to cheer on the team, dressed in a white kurta with handpainted messages talking about the bond between the two Banglas.
At the event, an announcement was made about the upcoming launch of Bangalinama, a new informative portal for Bengalis on both sides of the border. Scheduled for February 21, this platform will provide valuable information on health and tourism. Several people also discussed the Maitree Express, which runs five days a week, travelling around 400 kilometres to reach Dhaka from Kolkata, and the need for more travellers exploring Bangladesh as a tourism destination.
