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Arjun Singh releases Bhim Singh's Book "Around the World on Motorcycle"

The Honorable Union Minister for HRD, Shri Arjun Singh described Bhim Singh as one of the greatest adventurers in the world, who became the first person to cross the Sahara Desert on a Motorcycle during his world trip.

Shri Arjun Singh was addressing a distinguished gathering at the Auditorium of India International Centre this evening after releasing Bhim Singh's book, "Peace Mission, Around the World on Motorcycle". Shri Arjun Singh wished that Bhim Singh can be in a position from where he may implement his policies and programmes for the benefit of the new generation.

A brief but exciting function was presided by Dr. Amitabh Matoo, the Former Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu who compared Bhim Singh to the Latin American Revolutionary, Che Guevara who was responsible for the success of the Cuban Revolution. Dr. Mattoo made a strong appeal to the Indian Libraries and Educational Institutions to prescribe Bhim Singh's book on his travels in the curriculum because the youth of this country has every opportunity to learn from the experiments and adventures of Professor Bhim Singh's motorcycle globetrotting.

Ambassador, G.J. Malik who met Bhim Singh while he was Indian Ambassador in Chile described Bhim Singh's travels as a great source of inspiration not only to the youth of the country but the youth of the world in general and members of diplomatic corps in particular. He narrated interesting incidents how he caught Bhim Singh, the globetrotter in a street of Chile when Allende was the President of that country. Mr. Allende had personally received the Indian globetrotter.

Mr. Subhash Goyal narrated the tragedy of Bhim Singh's expulsion from Jammu and Kashmir and his accidental meeting with him at a Railway Platform. Mr. Subhash Goyal also narrated an interesting story how he and his friends at Delhi University bade him goodbye at Teen Murti when he left India in 1967. Mr. Goyal was the President of Delhi University Students Union.

Mr. Harcharan Singh Josh who succeeded Mr. Goyal as President of Delhi University in 1967 and is presently Member of the National Minorities Commission, described Bhim Singh as a unique personality who combines within him a passion for peace and strength of a rebellion. He cited several examples when Bhim Singh managed to invite Palestinian Hero, Yasir Arafat to Parliament House where Arafat was decorated with a World Peace Award by the Indian Council of World Affairs under the Presidency of Mr. Josh. He praised Mr. Arjun Singh for standing with the suffering youth at all times.

The audience included advocates, university teachers, former ministers, parliamentarians, artists, youth and student leaders. Mr. Sanjoy Sachdev, President of the Delhi Pradesh National Panthers Party presented a flower bouquet to Mr. Arjun Singh and Mrs. Nasreen Hamid, a noted journalist, presented a bouquet to Mr. Amitabh Mattoo.

The audience gave a standing ovation to Prof. Bhim Singh for creating a world record by traveling around the world on a motorcycle, covering nearly 140 countries of the world and becoming the first person to cross the Sahara Desert on a Motorcycle in 1971.

Experpts from Prof. Bhim Singh's speech on the occasion;

"Studying the world university was my mission in life. Several books like, 'She' prompted me to sail through the Nile, and others, walk through the Sahara and study the life in Latin America, Siberia and other parts of the world. I was registered as a lawyer in J&K after having passed my Law Degree from Aligarh Muslim University in 1966. The Supreme Court released me from illegal detention in 1967. During my detention in Special Jail, Jammu, I prepared my schedule for the world journey on peace.

It was in 1967 that I, with my colleague (Late Shri Jagdishwar Samyal), a student of Banaras Hindu University, finally bade goodbye to our friends in Delhi, Shri Subhash Goyal, President, Delhi University Students Union, S. Harcharan Singh Josh, Shri Sharda Sharma, Shri Raj Kumar Kohli at Teen Murti. Pakistan refused us a transit visa and we had to drive on two-wheeler which was donated by Dr. Karan Singh.

We had to board a ship to reach Khurram Shahr in Iran from where our roads to peace and adventures started.

It took 11 months to reach London. Met a major accident in Cairoand, remained hospitalized for more than two months. It was a great courtesy of two great Ambassadors of India like Shri Appa Pant in Cairo and Shri Satish Dhawan in London who made our mission a success. Participated in the International Motorcycles Rally in Peruga in Italy where we were decorated with golden awards for having covered the longest distance on two-wheels. Italian International Motorcyclists Association treated us as special guests for 30 days. In Bonn, Germany the German Society for Union of Berlin treated us as special guests during our stay in Germany.

There were several Indian journalists and others who treated us as their personal guests during our travels. The Sikh gurudwaras stood for us anywhere, wherever they functioned in the world.

In 1969 I was left alone as my companion joined a university in USA where he died in an accident. I travelled through USSR, Lapland and Helsinki in Finland and other Scandinavian countries. In 1970, I crossed the Sahara Desert on a Motorcycle thus was declared by 'Nigerian Times' as the first man to cross the Sahara Desert on a motorcycle. It was highly dangerous and terrible adventurous drive from Tan Tan (**Morocco**) to Senegal through Spanish Sahara and Mauritania.

A brief chapter bears mentioning in this book. My scooter which I brought from India was burned in London by some anti-India elements who did not like the words, 'India Means Peace' which was written in bold on my peace scooter. My second motorcycle was broken in Cameroon on my way to Congo in 1971. I managed to reach Sudan from where I took a train to Wadi-Haifa and boarded a boat to reach Asfahan through the Nile. This was one of my greatest desires to travel through this Nile voyage.

During intervals, I made use of my breaks and took admission in London University where attendance is not compulsory for the students. In 1972 I was called to the Bar and also passed out with LL.M (Masters Degree in Law) from London University with Distinction.

In 1971-72, I managed to make it to Latin America. Visited the Amazon, courtesy of the local government of Brazil with the cooperation of an Indian Mission. Met Tupamaros in Uruguay who were carrying a war of rebellion against the government. In Argentina, I had an accident while trying to cross a small stream to visit Che Guevara's village. I met President Allende in 1972. It was a courtesy of Ambassador Mr. G.J. Malik who was a trusted Indian diplomat with President Allende. I managed to hitch-hike through Chile, Peru, Colombia, Guatemala and Quito to reach Mexico in 28 days. I completed my trip around the USA as my transit visa for USA was issued only for 29 days through the intervention of India's Ambassador in Mexico.

Through the cooperation of my friends I managed to travel by rail from London to Moscow and from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Siberian rails which took me 15 days. The last leg of my journey was Japan, Korea which I covered by motorcycle, courtesy Honda, from Korea I got a ship to Sumatra, Indonesia. The last hospitality of a diplomat was from Shri Prem Bhatia, Indian High Commissioner in Singapore. His wife got me paranthas packed with some vegetables and bought me a rail ticket for Kuala Lumpur. It was the Gurudwara Committee in Kuala Lumpurwhich got me an air-ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Rangoon and Rangoon to Dhaka, newly established capital of Bangladesh.

The first chapter of my peace mission remained incomplete. I tried to seek visas for Pakistan and China. It was after my 33 years continuous efforts to visit these two countries that I received a visa to visit Pakistan in March 2007 and had face to face interaction with the dictator - President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf. At the end of 2007, I also got an invitation from International Study Group, Shanghai, China. After my visits to Pakistan and China, I compiled the broken pieces of my travelogue.

The history of war and peace has been going on ever since the creation of this world. Only the technique of wars has been changing with the development of new technologies in the field. A big question which needs to be answered today is, can there be peace without destruction and war?

In the modern era, Gandhi, Nehru, Nasir, Tito, Martin Luther King and many others advocated for disarmament and peaceful co-existence. That era has disappeared but the threat to the existence of humanity continues. South-East Asia is passing through a dangerous situation. I personally shall continue my mission for peace.

My first chapter is complete today and I am grateful to H.E. Shri Arjun Singh ji, Union Minister for Human Resource Development for having spared his precious time with calculated risk to unfold this chapter which I call 'Peace Mission, Around the World on Motorcycle'. It took me more than three decades to complete this book which is not an end of the world peace initiative but a beginning only. I shall continue to strive for a peaceful Union of India, China, Russia, Bangladesh and Pakistan to create permanent stability in the world.

After completing the first chapter of my book, 'Peace Mission, Around the World on Motorcycle' I have reached a conclusion that;

The world is my country,
And India is my home,
Humanity is my religion,
Equality and fraternity is my faith,
Justice and Equity is my goal,
And rebellion is my way,
Truth is my strength
Peace is my lasting passion
This is the road of my destiny
I am identified with.

*BHIM SINGH*