Geared for a cause

The inspiration did not come from Phileas Fogg, the fictitious character of Jules Verne’s classic, who might have gone around the world in 80 days. But Durga Charan Mishra, a resident of Sector-7, Dwarka, plans to cover South Asian nations on his Enfield Bullet in 65 days. Mishra, a Technical Officer with Association of State Road Transport Undertaking (ASRTU), under the Department of Transport, is being accompanied by his wife Jyotsna Mishra. The expedition was flagged off by A.R. Nanda, Executive director of Population Foundation of India on February 25 from Siri Fort Auditorium.
The Mishra couple has embarked upon a 16,500-kilometer voyage covering all states of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The journey is supported by the UN, Population Foundation of India, CARE, and Voluntary Health Association of India. The aim is to propagate the message of health (HIV/ AIDS), harmony and humanitarian values. Mishra’s target is to meet 35,000 students, 3500 truck drivers and at least 1,000 sex workers and NGOs.
At 51, the indefatigable Mishra can give complex to bike crazy adventurous youth. Mishra has the distinction of holding national record on two wheeler, when in 1999, he undertook an all India motorcycle tour with a mission to spread awareness on eye donation supported by HelpAge India. He criss-crossed the nation covering a distance of 17070 kilometers in 57 days.
An Oriya from Bhubaneshwar, Mishra believes in serving the society in his own small and innovative way. He taught children of jhuggi dwellers and sponsors a girl child through CRY. On what initiated him to take such arduous journeys, he recalls, “I read about a French professor who traveled to Mumbai from France on a motorcycle to collect money for the slum children of Mumbai. That gave me the idea of doing something similar. I contacted various social organisations who agreed to support me.� During his whirlwind tour of India in 1999, he met thousands of people including students and villagers to whom he spread the message of donating eyes, helping the aged. He also spoke about the importance of road safety.
Again in 2002, Mishra, along with his wife Jyotsna, undertook the most challenging and adventurous journey on motorcycle. The ‘world peace expedition’ covered all the eight passes of Himalaya-Ladakh sector. The aim was to spread the message of non-violence and an ideal society. Traveling on motorcycle to the highest road of the world at Khardung-La (18383 ft) was the ultimate test of endurance of the man and the machine. But the Oriya couple successfully surmounted the highest pass where they placed a stone marked ‘World Peace’ which displays the collection of more than hundred children’s messages regarding world peace.
Biting cold or scorching heat, dipping levels of oxygen or heavy outpours, every experience is thrilling for Mishra. Driving safe is his motto; he starts off at 6.00 in the mornings and winds up at 6:30 in the evenings. Of course, he has encountered challenges, but then where there is a will, there is a way. The love of the people he receives is his main driving force. He has number of incidents to narrate, “Once in Drass in J&K, the brakes failed, but fortunately the army rushed with the first aid. Then in Punjab, I was driving at a speed of 100 km per hour, when a car caught up with him and the children passed the packet of sweet to him which I devoured during the journey.� Mishra feels lucky to get full moral support from his wife and two college going children Anupam and Anusha. The fact that this man has succeeded in doing his bit for the society, can be gauged from the satisfaction writ on his face.