World cyclist’s dream of unique place; Somen recounts harrowing 24 day captivity as a Taliban prisoner
Somen Debnath is a world traveller with a very special mission. After a 16-year odyssey through 191 countries across 200,000kms and meeting 20 million people, he plans to set up a Global Village in his village in West Bengal. He hails from Basanti village in the Sunderbans.
Somen has been collecting a handful of soil from every country he has visited. He plans to use this ‘multinational soil’ for his Global Village and Garden.
“When my travels are over, I plan to build a global village at Basanti where people of all nationalities and cultures will live and work together. In the centre will be a beautiful garden that will contain handfuls of earth that I have collected from every corner of the world”.
Somen has a Bachelors degree in zoology, plus another degree in Fine Arts. He was living in a joint family of 14 members, before he decided to set out on his world bicycle tour on May 27, 2004. At that time he was just 20.
In the course of his travels this young, soft-spoken young man with long, flowing locks and beard has shed some of his Indianness and donned the mantle of a ‘World Citizen’.
“When my travels are over, I plan to build a global village at Basanti where people of all nationalities and cultures will live and work together. In the centre will be a beautiful garden that will contain handfuls of earth that I have collected from every corner of the world”.
The first impression you get of Somen is that perhaps he is an artist or a poet. I first met Somen some time back, when he was enjoying a two-week break in Oman, during the Middle East leg of his tour.
He explained then, “Normally I never stopover for so long. But Muscat is such a wonderful place, and the people are so warm and hospitable. During his stay, he met up with students from various schools and colleges and people from various social organisations, besides ministers and officials of the government.
But what made him choose the bicycle as his preferred mode of transport? Somen thinks bicycles are environment friendly. The other more obvious reason is that “it is a great form of exercise and keeps me fit. Finally, the most important reason is that I’m able to connect with people in the most intimate and direct way”.
But some of the people he “connected” with were unexpected encounters, fraught with danger and death. He particularly recalls his 24 days in captivity as a prisoner of the Taliban, while traversing through Afghanistan between Kabul and Herat”.
“I strayed into Taliban territory in Herat, about 138kms from Kabul. They thought I was a spy and put me in a dark dungeon, strapped to a chair. From time to time, I was blindfolded and beaten. Finally, I was able to convince them I was just an innocent traveller in search of adventure and win them over with my delicious cooking of Indian food.
Recalling those days as a Taliban prisoner, he says he bears them no ill-will or rancour.
Perhaps you might have already guessed it, so yes, Somen says he is quite an expert chef, and that is what saved his life in the end.
When he gets back home – I’m not sure if he already has; he was supposed to finish on May 27, 2020, but anything could’ve happened during this time – he plans to write two books – one about his travels and the other one, of course, will be a cookbook.
But how has Somen been able to raise the huge funds required for his journey? “I keep selling every kilometre of my journey among relatives, friends, and well-wishers along the way.
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