By C M Paul
Siliguri: A biker priest from Kerala on a country wide bike mission to spread peace has arrived at Siliguri in West Bengal state.
Father Prashant Palakkappilly, who set out from Kochi in Kerala on August 10, arrived on September 4 in Siliguri, with the slogan “Discovering Trust-Green-Peace on the Indian Roads 2021.”
Siliguri is the international hub and commercial capital of north Bengal, linking Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.
The 56- year-old formal principal of Sacred Heart College Thevara, Kochi, is member of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate who retired from his academic career earlier this year.
Arriving in Siliguri, Father Palakkappilly addressed sociology students and faculty members of both Salesian College Siliguri and Sonada campuses marking Teachers’ Day.
Father Palakkappilly also addressed faculty and students of Commerce department who were celebrating teachers day in Siliguri campus.
On September 5, after celebrating Sunday Eucharist for some 50 nuns and another 50 candidates to sisterhood, the Carmelite priest went to celebrate Teachers’ Day at Kuriakose Elias Carmel School located in neighboring Jalpaiguri district.
In the afternoon, he left for Mirik on his way to Salesian College Sonada, Darjeeling, and onward to Gangtok in Sikkim.
In 24 days of journey, Father Palakkappilly covered a distance of more than 5,100 km.
Narrating his experience on Indian roads, the first time biker confessed that on his way to Chilka Lake in Odisha, he dosed off while driving in the afternoon and landed in the roadside drain with the bike on his top. Some people who saw the accident rushed to his help and accompanied him to a roadside mechanic some 250 meters away.
“I have met only very kind and good people all along my solo ride,” says the grateful Father Palakkappilly asserting the slogan of his ride, “Discovering Trust-Green-Peace on the Indian Roads 2021.”
He has made it a point to meet with his alumni on his itinerary and other like-minded people to spread the message of peace and a sense of concern for the environment.
The solo bike ride was flagged off from Thevara to Kottayam en route to Konkan, Kutch, Kashmir, Kolkata and northeast India.
The bike-rider priest seems to have covered more than 5100 KMs in 24 days. How many litres of “petrol” has his bike consumed? How much more petrol is required for his onward and return journey?
The “consumption of petrol” (when the cost has crossed 100 rupees) and the “protection of environment” are contradictory.
What is the message is he giving to the students??? “Bicycle journey” or “Padayatra” would have added credibility to this priest.
To me, this bike-riding activity seems to be a “Publicity Stunt”!!