When UK-based Bengali couple Prabir and Sanjukta Mitra realised they had taken a wrong turn somewhere in Uzbekistan, they thought their epic 100-day, overlanding journey spanning 27,000km to raise awareness about diabetes had hit another serious bump.
Little did they know that going 430km off course because of a navigational error would lead them to the most serendipitous moment of their expedition from King's Lynn in England to their native Kolkata. The Mitras, retracing the ancient Silk Route across 20 countries on their "Chetak" - a Toyota Hilux pickup - ended up at the remote village of Kyzyl Kala, far from the 1st-century Qizil Qala fortress in Karakalpakstan that they intended to visit.
What they hadn't bargained for was the locals there acknowledging them as revered guests from "the land of Babur", the 15th-century founder of the Mughal empire in the subcontinent and a national hero in what is now Uzbekistan. A village elder stepped forward to embrace the couple. Lunch invitations followed. Suddenly, two lost travellers were honoured guests in a place that seemed to have fallen off the map.
"The kind of reception we received was unbelievable," recalled Sanjukta. "From strangers, we became representatives of a land they have immense respect for. It was a humbling experience."
The irony wasn't lost on the couple, though. Here they were, driving a vehicle named after Maharana Pratap's legendary warhorse - the same Pratap who fought against Babur's Mughal descendants at Haldighati in 1576. Yet, centuries later, Babur's legacy was opening doors and hearts for them in Central Asia.
The Mitras hadn't set out to retrace historical connections, though they found them everywhere. Their mission was to combine overlanding with spreading awareness about how to tackle the diabetes epidemic, particularly in South Asia where people are genetically predisposed to type 2 diabetes.
"Our aim was to engage with local communities, share health information and promote lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of diabetes," said Prabir, a diabetologist.
Later in the expedition, the Mitras had their journey cut short by a landslide at Kodari, a village 144km from Kathmandu near the border with Tibet. Unsure about when the rubble would be cleared, they left their car there and hitched a hike to Kathmandu before flying back to Kolkata via Delhi. "It was a difficult decision to leave Chetak behind. We will get or travel companion home once the road reopens," said Prabir, who spent five years charting the trip with Sanjukta, a mathematics teacher and mentor at King Edward VII Academy in King's Lynn.
Little did they know that going 430km off course because of a navigational error would lead them to the most serendipitous moment of their expedition from King's Lynn in England to their native Kolkata. The Mitras, retracing the ancient Silk Route across 20 countries on their "Chetak" - a Toyota Hilux pickup - ended up at the remote village of Kyzyl Kala, far from the 1st-century Qizil Qala fortress in Karakalpakstan that they intended to visit.
What they hadn't bargained for was the locals there acknowledging them as revered guests from "the land of Babur", the 15th-century founder of the Mughal empire in the subcontinent and a national hero in what is now Uzbekistan. A village elder stepped forward to embrace the couple. Lunch invitations followed. Suddenly, two lost travellers were honoured guests in a place that seemed to have fallen off the map.
"The kind of reception we received was unbelievable," recalled Sanjukta. "From strangers, we became representatives of a land they have immense respect for. It was a humbling experience."
The irony wasn't lost on the couple, though. Here they were, driving a vehicle named after Maharana Pratap's legendary warhorse - the same Pratap who fought against Babur's Mughal descendants at Haldighati in 1576. Yet, centuries later, Babur's legacy was opening doors and hearts for them in Central Asia.
The Mitras hadn't set out to retrace historical connections, though they found them everywhere. Their mission was to combine overlanding with spreading awareness about how to tackle the diabetes epidemic, particularly in South Asia where people are genetically predisposed to type 2 diabetes.
"Our aim was to engage with local communities, share health information and promote lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of diabetes," said Prabir, a diabetologist.
Later in the expedition, the Mitras had their journey cut short by a landslide at Kodari, a village 144km from Kathmandu near the border with Tibet. Unsure about when the rubble would be cleared, they left their car there and hitched a hike to Kathmandu before flying back to Kolkata via Delhi. "It was a difficult decision to leave Chetak behind. We will get or travel companion home once the road reopens," said Prabir, who spent five years charting the trip with Sanjukta, a mathematics teacher and mentor at King Edward VII Academy in King's Lynn.
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