Hiking has become a cherished culture in the Bikalpa pantheon. Bikalpa has been organizing hiking trips to nearby locations on a regular basis to engage and bring Bikalpa fellows close to each other. And over the years, the event has matured into a networking event, where students, youths and young professionals meet and make memories.
People from various age groups, profession and ethnicity have been introduced to each other through this event, and this hiking also served as a reunion for people associated with Bikalpa in various capacities. After a series of lockdowns and restriction on social events, followed by 3 months of continuous decline in the Corona virus cases, Bishnu Paduka, a Temple-monastery complex situated at the outskirts of Dharan was selected as the hiking spot.
An application for the hiking was opened, which received overwhelming response with close to 70 applications that included participants from earlier events, Bikalpa fellowship participants and supporters. 64 people from various cities of Province no. 1 participated in the hiking, as the team began its journey with a bus-ride from Biratnagar to Dharan early in the morning at 7 am.
After a short stop at the Railway Chowk in Dharan for brunch, the team began their ascent to the nearby hills crossing the Sardu river, British Gorkha Memorial Park and Machamara village on their way to the 7 kilometer hiking trail. Upon reaching their destination, the team spent 2 hours in the temple premise, taking pictures, interacting and networking with each other.
As part of the Campaign for Economic Freedom, the participants posed with the campaign pamphlets and had a group picture. The hiking team finally made their way back through the rocky River basin of the Sardu River and after a short snacks at the local markets in Dharan, the team headed back and reach Biratnagar around 7pm. The Hiking event created an opportunity to bring participants close to Bikalpa, which also helped to create visibility of the organization.
