Youth Embarks On Chhattisgarh-Ladakh Cycling Expedition To Honour Martyrs
Jagat Mandal plans to complete this journey in around six months during which he will spread the message of patriotism.
Published : March 1, 2026 at 5:32 PM IST
|Updated : March 1, 2026 at 5:41 PM IST
Sukma: A youth from Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, Jagat Mandal, has embarked on a 2000 km journey from his hometown to Ladakh to pay homage to martyred jawans.
"This journey isn't about making any record or for adventure. It's just about remembering the martyrs and their sacrifice for our motherland. The martyrs are remembered only on occasions like August 15 and January 26 but their sacrifice is worth remembering every day. We are safe because of the soldiers guarding our borders. Remembering them for only two days does not do justice to their sacrifice,” he said.
Mandal plans to complete this two-way journey in around six months. It will take him three months to reach Ladakh and three months to return. Along the way, he will be meeting youths in villages, towns, and cities and also plans to visit schools and colleges to spread the message of patriotism. His aim is to reach the hearts of the people.
The journey from Dornapal to Ladakh is not going to be an easy one. It will be marked by dense forests, plains and steep mountains along with scorching heat, sudden weather changes and above all, limited resources. But Mandal is confident of overcoming all these challenges.
As Mandal left his village, people of his locality bid him farewell. The village elders gave their blessings and the children cheered him by waving the Tricolour. It was an emotional adieu with the entire village turning up to send him on his journey.
Mandal plans to pay tributes to the martyrs on reaching Ladakh, a territory marked by a difficult geography and a hostile terrain where many soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice. He defines his journey as a spiritual exercise.
His journey, seen as a path towards nation building, is a symbolic turnaround in Bastar that has long been in news for Naxalite violence. By cycling 2,700 km, Mandal intends to connect the soil of Dornapal to the snowy mountains of Ladakh.
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