Lucknow hosts two messengers of peace from Nepal
LUCKNOW: Two Nepali cousins inspired by Swami Vivekananda have been on a mission to spread the message of peace and humanity in India since last year. They started their journey from Sikkim on July 22, 2013 and have covered nearly all the states during their journey.
Narayan Prasad Bhattarai and Nabraj Bhattarai, both aged 30 and journalists by profession, arrived in Lucknow on Wednesday for a two-day visit and were instantly attracted to the culture richness and simplicity of the city.
Bihar and Delhi will be their last two destinations before they return home.
“We wanted to learn more about our neighbouring country and its people. After having travelled so far, we feel there is not much difference between the two countries,” the duo told HT.
“Both Indians and Nepalis are peace loving people and take great pride in their rich culture,” said Narayan.
The cousins left Nepal with just ` 350 in their pocket. “But we were confident people in India would contribute generously for our ‘Bharat Darshan’ yatra. And they did not disappoint us. Both Indians and people of the Nepali community supported our trip. We have spent over ` 6 lakh for meals and lodging. And in many places, we have put up in people’s homes,” said Nabraj.
Narayan and Nabraj post their destination and purpose over facebook and other social media platforms, and people instantly reach out to them. “People for Nepal are settled in different parts of India. They happily invite us to stay with their families. As a result, most of the expenses are borne by them,” said the duo.
The messengers of peace have visited several religious places, including Haridwar and Amritsar. They met yoga guru Ramdev at Patanjali and sought his blessings, and also visited Badrinath, where several people lost their lives in last year’s floods.
“We did not find too many people, even though Badrinath temple is overcrowded normally,” they said.
The natural beauty of North East India attracted the cousins most and even scenic Srinagar made a deep impression on their hearts.
Before coming to India, Narayan and Nabraj travelled all 75 districts of Nepal in 730 days. After the trip, they made a 98-minute documentary and penned a book on the culture of their country.
So what next for Narayan and Nabraj?
The cousins are in awe of another Nepali, Pushkar Shah, who travelled the world for 11 years and intend to emulate his achievement.
“We intend to embark on a world tour, particularly around the SAARC countries, besides other parts of the globe.” They will also showcase the culture of Nepal through their documentary during the world tour.