New Delhi, Aug 30: An 18-member Indian team will embark today on a 75-day car expedition, which will cover nearly 15,000 km of the Himalayas. "The expedition aptly named Riding The Himalayas should give us an interesting insight into the lives of the people living there," Phalguni Matilal, secretary of the Adventures and Explorers Society, which is organising the expedition, told reporters here yesterday.
The expedition will be flagged off from here and will go through places -- from Turtuk in Ladakh to Kibitho in Arunachal Pradesh. It will also cover the mountain kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan.
Using four vehicles provided by the Mahindra and Mahindra company, which are also the joint sponsors for the expedition, the members will emphasise on "studying the ethos and cultures of the mountain people."
It will also make attempt to track the sociological and economic impact of people "who for centuries have lived a pristine and secluded life," said president of the society K P Singh Deo.



The first leg of the event will take the 18-member team from here to the scenic valleys of Jammu, from where the expedition would move to Leh and then via the Rohtang Pass onto Kaza on the India-China border.



Riding the Himalayas would then carry on to Garhwal and Kumaon and then to Nepal, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh before terminating in Kolkata on November 16.


Bureau Report