Two B'luru men fly to Italy, drive back home with peace message

Two Bengalureans have flown to Italy and are driving back from there to India as part of a peace mission covering 20 countries.

S Rajkumar and Vinay started their tour on December 16 from Sicily, Italy.  ‘The Road to Peace’ from Italy to India, the participants said, would spread the message of peace across borders. The 20-country journey will pass through Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, Liechtenstein and France, covering 18,000 km.

Speaking to DH, Rajkumar, who works as a business consultant, said en route, they will meet leaders of countries and speak to them about the relationship between their country and India.

“Today, international relations are an exceptionally important aspect of citizenship in a global society. As our world shrinks through communication technology, rapid air transportation and a complex international economy, peaceful and co-operative relations have become more important,” he said.

The two believe that international relations are not only about controlling the flow of goods and information, they are also advantageous for the advancement of human culture. The journey is funded by several of their friends and their families. Rajkumar got his Audi Q3 airlifted to Italy.

Asked why he did not rent a car there as it would have minimised his expenses, Rajkumar said, “It has been a dream for me to see a KA (Karnataka registration) vehicle on the roads of these countries. Hence the idea.”

Even as he has travelled by air in the past to several destinations, Rajkumar says he has not had opportunity to interact with many people.

 “When we travel by road, the experience gets better. We tend to meet a lot of people. Travelling the countryside gives a glimpse of different cultures. We can become a part of them,” he added.