By Pranav Sahi*
Patna: Bihar offers bio-diversity and has 10 great forest reserves and eco-tourism destinations which offer world-class experiences to travellers. With a basic theme of ‘Promoting Eco-Tourism in Bihar’, a five-day ‘Awe-Inspiring Bihar Car Run 2023’ was organized by the Department of Education of the Bihar Government in association with the Magadh Motor Sports Club, a leading motorsport club based at Patna, as part of the Bihar Diwas celebrations. Its purpose was to interact with the people in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and inform and educate them about the beautiful eco-tourism sites of Bihar. The organizers said about 10,000 people in the 3 states were exposed to the programme which also included Bihari people working and staying in other states who are the state’s brand ambassadors.
The Car Run was flagged off from the historic Gandhi Maidan on the concluding day of the Bihar Diwas Celebrations on March 24, 2023, by the Governor of Bihar Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in the presence of Additional Chief Secretary Dipak Kumar Singh and Secretary of Education Department and other officers and dignitaries.
It travelled via the ‘Ganga Marine Drive’ amid enthusiastic response from passing traffic which stopped and took photographs at various places. On the 24th night, the Car Run reached Gaya and halted for the night. The next day the group had to travel to Jharkhand and the stopover was planned at Dhanbad on Kolkata-Delhi Highway.
In Gaya, Mayor Virendra Kumar lauded the efforts of the Car Run participants in promoting the tourist sites of the state. On the way to Dhanbad, the participants distributed special Bihari sweets and Bihar Diwas T-Shirts to the gatherings wherever they stopped. People in Jharkhand gave them a warm welcome starting from the Dhaba near Chauparan.
From Dhanbad after a very fruitful day, the destination was Shantiniken (West Bengal) via Durgapur – a bustling Industrial township of West Bengal. After the ceremonial flag-off from the hotel, the participants stopped at several places playing the Bihar Song and offering sweets and T-Shirts to people whom they kept meeting on the way. The video team accompanying the Car Run kept interviewing people on the way. It reached Durgapur and visited the City Mall where a diverse group of people from all over the country, students studying in educational institutions and locals from the city, met the participants.
After reaching Shantiniketan (Bolpur) the Car Run proceeded to the Arthshila Art Centre to honour Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Arvind Sinha ( also 7 times National Award winner from the President of India) who hails from Samastipur district in Bihar. The Director of the Arthshila Foundation was also felicitated for his independent efforts in promoting art and culture in Bihar and in other states. After that, the participants visited Shantiniketan University and local haats interacting with students and tourists and kept promoting the state’s Eco-Tourism sites. Visitors were pleasantly surprised to see the scenic locations and hear about one of the best Tiger Reserves in India…The Valmiki Tiger Reserve.
The return lap to Govindpur (Jharkhand) ended at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT/ISM) Dhanbad where a special programme had been arranged to meet and greet the students and felicitate the Director of IIT/ISM and several other professors from Bihar who are heading important departments at the IIT Dhanbad. The following day the cars returned to Bodh-Gaya where the participants met tourists from India and abroad and informed them about the great Bihari sites in Eco-Tourism and also about the Bihar Diwas Celebrations in the state.
The Car-run was the 4th such event on the occasion of Bihar Diwas and 7-8 vehicles participated in each lap of the run. Individual vehicles were branded with selected themes as approved by the Education Department. The major themes and locations which were publicized were Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Ganga Dolphin Sanctuary, Rajgir Zoo Safari, Kaimur Waterfalls, Ghorakatora Lake (Rajgir) and others.
*President of Magadh Motor Sports Club, Patna
