Somen Debnath is professionally connected with culture because he graduated form the applied arts department of the Sarbabharabia University of Calcutta. The problem of HIV/AIDS disturbed the young man when he was fourteen. He red a newspaper article on that people diagnosed with AIDS, who had many difficulties and left face to face with the disease of grave danger and who suffer ostracism of surrounding people. S. Debnath was firstly informed of this interested problem by his school teacher. Then he filled up his knowledge in the Society for AIDS Control in West Bengal.

Gradually, Somen Debnath made a sharp decision on making a trip around the world to enrich people’s awareness and help them to prevent from distribution of AIDS. His audience is young students and uneducated rural population having no idea of this death disease. He propagandizes and attracts allies and teammates among students who area ready to inform surrounding people in villages and markets and urban streets about HIV/AIDS.   

S. Debnath started his journey after two days of finishing the university on May 27, 2004, intending to visit 191 countries of the world. He has run 59800 kilometers through 27 states of India, Nepal, Butane, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.      

He does not dream of records and hurry up his way, running around 80 kilometers a day, and he stays enough long time somewhere if it necessary for him. Somen Debnath has implemented this program with 162 nongovernmental organizations, in 3019 schools, 2254 colleges, 50 universities, 62 “hot spots” and numerous road borders.

“I have developed a three-hour program where I use video materials on VIV infection and records on Indian culture. It also includes a sixty-minute documentary on HIV/AIDS: the youth must not only have idea of this dangerous disease but also know ways of controlling the situation and avoiding it”.

The inner assurance and philosophical point of view on life that is typical of the Indian are not enough to make such a world tour which Somen Debnath intends to finish in 2020 but it requires real support of various organizations.

“Organizations interested in the project and businessmen help me”, says Somen Debnath. “However, people whom are talk to on my way mainly support me. In each country I aspire to feel as a native inhabitant: I am an Uzbek in Uzbekistan and a Russian in Russia. It is the best way to know peoples’ cultures and traditions.

My tour consists of three components: sports, tourism and lecture. Its sports activity is that I exclusively travel by bicycle on land. I have already mentioned its lecture part. And tourism is everyday discovery of something new for me. In the eighth grade at school I read about Samarkand and Bukhara. It is the God’s gift for me that I have been to Samarkand and saw with my eyes all those things which I read before. Generally, I have made a long trip across Uzbekistan: I moved from Sariasiya to Tashkent through Denau, Termez, Karshi, Samarkand and Syrdarya. Cordiality of the Uzbek is more than hospitality. Here I feel love and kindness”.

S. Debnath’s ringing sell phone interrupted our conversation. He talked with his caller for a long time and then said that “someone called him from Denau and asked how my things were going on”.

Somen Debnath has lots of things to do in Tashkent; therefore he is to spend twelve days here. Then he will go to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Good luck and happy journey, Somen!