From Siachen to Andamans, Territorial Army’s cycling squad makes pitstop in city

Nagpur: Led by Major AS Rawat, a team of 21 battle-hardened soldiers from the Territorial Army (TA) arrived at the Kamptee Cantonment on Saturday evening, completing nearly half of their 5,500 km cross-country cycling expedition, which started from the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier.
The Territorial Army will be celebrating its Platinum Jubilee (75th year) on October 9.To commemorate the occasion, the unit, also known as the People's Army, has undertaken various activities. The cycling expedition aims to promote national integration and unity among countrymen.
The expedition, covering the journey through land, air and water, was flagged off from Siachen and will be reaching the country’s farthest end, Indira Point in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Territorial Army team will be en route meeting war veterans and war widows, and students, besides promoting the use of cycles to stay healthy and non-motorised transport.
The team’s first challenge was the mountain passes in Ladakh, followed by the Leh Desert, and the hills of Himachal Pradesh. The team braced shooting stones, landslides, cloudbursts and heavy rains, and covered plains before reaching Nagpur.
They will be setting out for the further journey from Kamptee Cantonment on Sunday morning. The team’s next major destinations are Hyderabad and Chennai, from where they will be flown to Port Blair.
The team was welcomed and flagged in by the General Officer Commanding Headquarters Uttar Maharashtra and Gujarat Sub Area Gen SK Vidyarthi at Kamptee Cantt (Nagpur). A lecture-cum-motivational programme for 50 NCC cadets was held at Kamptee Cantt during the ‘Flagging In’ event.
The cycle expedition team is tasked with motivating the youth to choose the Territorial Army as a career and to take pride in serving our motherland.