Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma flagged off Ride East, a cross-country motorcycle ride that aims to promote the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in northeast India and northwest Myanmar while commemorating the 80th Anniversary since the start of World War (WW) II in 1939.
The Chief Minister in course of his interaction with the riders, who had assembled in Shillong from different parts of the world on October 15th, 2019, stated that it is important for each of the riders to be connected with the government and share their stories as they explore different places during their trip.
He said that it is through such trip that bonding and strengthening of the relationship between different culture and communities can take place and motivated the riders to continue with their endeavour to create awareness about SDGs through different activities.
The 10 Ride East bikers will follow a 1000 mile route riding on Royal Enfield bikes for 10 days across the picturesque Northeastern states of India that share international borders with China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
During each stop of the ride, we will map and relive WWII history connecting Northeast India to northwest Myanmar along the Stilwell Road all the way to the Lake of No Return on the India-Myanmar border south of Pangsau.
The Ride East bikers will offset all their carbon emissions by planting mangrove trees with Ecofriend World at Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park in Myanmar, making the whole operation carbon neutral.
Following the historic ride of WWII Dispatcher Bikers, Ride East will engage the new generation of socially conscious bikers, who will facilitate the long term support through strategic collaborations with like-minded organisations and individuals in their networks.
The intention is to build an active Community on Wheels that will make a difference by providing support for scaling up the project over a period of five years.
Photo credit: @SangmaConrad
