BIKERS CLUB NOVEMBER 2019 ISSUE | Page 63

ISSUE 11 | NOVEMBER 2019 BIKERS CLUB | MAGAZINE | PAGE 63 WAR MEMORIAL AT WALONG WHY I CHOSE KIBITHOO TO FLAG OFF? After I was given a sendoff by RERAM for my KIBITHOO to KOTESHWAR East - West Ride of a "Save The Girl Child" cause, I reached the war memorial of Walong. Riders usually start their ride from Tezu but I chose Kibithoo, because I wanted to start from east of North East and I love to take up ride in extreme weather and extreme off roads, and Kibithoo is like a virgin place for riders so it was a perfect choice and also why other riders don't choose Kibithoo? Because of the inner-land permission one has to acquire from the office of the commissioner in Guwahati. I almost spent two hours there. From childhood, I have a fascination towards soldiers and their gallantries, while I was paying homage, I visualised and remembered the battle of walong in 1962 Sino-India war, how our soldiers must have fought with this difficult terrain and in most inhospitable place in the mountains and jungles and how they must have walked and crossed mountains, bridges to occupy the borders, although we lost that battle but the gallantries of those soldiers who fought   Even I had one experience on the way to walong for the homage at war memorial. When I crossed Brahmaputra river by ferry and crossing Sadiya Ghat I reached at the Sunpura police check post, where every vehicle has to register their visit before going ahead. I was stopped to make an entry which I did, but the inspector at there took some time to endorse it, so I requested him to endorse, he looked at me and said, let the other riders come here so I can endorse all of them together, laughingly I replied "Sir am riding alone !" To which he asked me how did you come alone on this route which is not at all safe. I looked at him proudly and said "Army se hu... Mujhe apni raksha karna aata hai..." He was shocked & said, still you have taken a big risk, because on this route there are many wild animals, who could have harmed you but anyways now that you have reached till here safely then you can go ahead and road is safe from here. here is unforgettable. I salute the spirit of the soldiers who died for the country and kept the sovereignty of India. Civilians will never understand this because they don't know how our soldiers secures our borders in any damn adverse conditions and it's our soldiers gallantry only, because which other countries thinks 1000 times before attacking India and the entire world knows this very well. We lost 1962 was because of several reasons, I don't want to get in to that but China understood quite well that it's very difficult to penetrate India in conventional war. After paying homage at walong war memorial I headed for Kibithoo which is 22 kms away, but because of mountain range and treacherous roads, it took me around 4 hours to reach. I spent night at Kibithoo.