Day 23, August 6, 2017 – Shamlajee to Udaipur.
Distance – 150 kilometres.
Duration-9 hours.
A friendship day highway meeting with Everester Sunita Singh Choken – Offroader Style
For several days now Offroaders has been following Sunita Singh Chokens brave journey from Kanyakumari
to Khardungla and so the prospect of finally getting to meet her today as she “cross dashed* was an exciting one. We set off from Ahmedabad in truly “Offroader” style on our Royal Enfields and after a 190 kilometre ride through the picturesque terrains of Gujarat and Rajasthan we caught up with her a little ahead of Bichiwara at a highway eatery. When we met Sunita it wasn’t as if we were meeting her for the first time- after all we had spent hours on the phone as Sunita updated us with her days happenings, her glorious and jubilant moments and concerns. We had spent many anxious moments waiting for news from her as she cycled all alone on the treacherous roads. “I have planted 200 saplings “, Sunita proudly informed me. She then showed me her so called tan tattoos and her wound of the accident at Khandala as she updated us . A hug , lots of good wishes and a promise to meet soon- Sunita was on her way to cover the remaining distance to Udaipur.
This time it was the chivalrous men in Olive Green from the NCC Battalion who received her at Udaipur. She was touched by the warm hospitality of Col Sudhakar Tyagi, Mrs Tyagi and the team who a after brief interaction with the media accompanied her to her guest room . Sunita was happy to meet a representative of Omni Sangha her sponsors for this expedition . She had many stories to tell the group but one story which Col Sudhakar shared with her stayed with her . This was about a retired General of the Army who has made it his life mission to cycle to statues of martyrs across the country, garland them and restore them wherever needed. “Our brave soldiers are the true friends of the nation- Today on friendship day my special gratitude to them”
