The RTYC Chandigarh activists, after starting their cycle rally from Chandigarh to Delhi on January 14, reached Ambala in Haryana on the evening of January 14th. The local Tibetan sweater sellers in Ambala extended all help to the student activists and arranged for their stay in a local gurdwara. The Tibetan Market Association served the students a sumptuous dinner and breakfast the following morning.
The next morning the Ambala Tibetan Market Association organised a meeting with the representative of the local MLA and the vice-president of the Bharat-Tibet Sahyog Manch, Ambala. The Indian dignitaries assured all help to the cycle rally in particular and the Tibetan cause in general. RTYC Chandigarh president Tenzin Norsang gave the vote of thanks during the function. Tenzin Norsang on behalf of RTYC Chandigarh presented the chief guest and other guests with a memento of a Tibetan national flag and a traditional Tibetan khatak.
The local Tibetan sweater sellers’ association assured all help to the student activists and presented them with Rs 5,000 as a mark of their support for RTYC, Chandigarh, and its cycle rally campaign.
The cycle rally commenced from Ambala around 11 am towards Kurukshetra, where they reached around 5 pm. The cyclists were filled with enthusiasm as they made their way through the heavy traffic on the national highway. Making their way through the maddening traffic was not easy but they were determined to make it to their next destination. Some cyclists started singing songs to keep their spirits high. Despite all the problems being faced by them, they were determined to make the trip worth remembering as it was for a great cause that they had decided to cycle all the way from Chandigarh to the Indian capital of Delhi.
At Kurukshetra their destination was the Kurukshetra University, where the student leaders of Indian National Students’ Association (INSO) including their student president Anil were there to welcome the Tibetan cyclists. The students organised a small get-together for the Tibetan students and a small but much-needed tea party was also organised. The Indian student leaders also spoke about the issue of Tibet to a gathering of Tibetan and Indian students on the campus and promised to start a signature campaign to oppose the Chinese rule in Tibet.
The cyclists toured the Kurukshetra University campus shouting slogans and singing the song “We shall overcome” in English, Hindi and Tibetan thereby lifting the spirits of one and all taking part in the cycle rally. The students were charged up enough to take the next 40 something kms to Karnal, where they were to stop for a night stay, with ease.
However, on the way one girl cyclist had to be carried in the car that was a part of the cycle rally due to weakness. The students were tired after the initial 20-25 kms but a good and sumptuous lunch prepared by the kitchen crew comprising students from Chandigarh was good enough to pull them through the next 20 something kms. The cyclists reached Karnal around 5:45 pm on Tuesday for a night stay.
