KOLKATA: Around three years after travelling to 32 countries in a car to make people aware of pain management, a couple of West Bengal are set to drive to four countries of Central Asia for raising awareness on mental health.
Dr Debanjali Roy and her entrepreneur husband Koushik Roy said that they will visit Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, covering a distance of around 4,000 km, in May.
Given the stressful life during the COVID era, stable mental health has become as important as any medicine, they said adding that a healthy mind allows a person to work productively, which in turn raises his or her contributions to society.
"We are keen to spread the awareness of mental health across age groups.
"Last time, we spread awareness about Safe Drive to a Pain-Free Life in association with West Bengal Government and travelled almost 45,000 km across 32 countries," said Debanjali, an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist.
In 2021, they plan to travel through the ancient and unexplored Silk Route, with the message of being stress-free and having sound mental health, said Koushik who is an entrepreneur.
"In Kyrgyzstan, we will experience the nomads' life, their food, their culture, and how to be happy against all odds," she said. They have planned to cover the four countries in 18 days. In 2018, the couple visited 32 countries in Asia and Europe in over seven months by car.
"In 2020, we all had to keep our wandering souls hibernated, as the world went through a transition unexpectedly. We all can hope that 2021 will be much better and safer," Koushik said.