These are the aims of the 22-member cycling team of the Three Engineering Regiment which is on a 50-days expedition of the country. The team, which comprises members mostly in their early 20s, after a night halt here today left for their next destination, Valsad.

Organised by Army Adventure wing, the expedition led by Captain Manoj Rawat was flagged off by Major General V K Jetely in Ahmedabad on November 20, will cover a distance 4710 kms in 50 days and terminate at Banglore on January 10 after passing through Mumbai, Pune, Belgaon, Hyderabad, Vijaywada, Chennai, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, Manglore and Mysore.

The idea of the expedition, said Rawat, was conceived by commanding officer of the regiment Col N R K Babu who wanted it to be a celebration of the Raising Day of the unit on November 20.

On being asked what motivated them to join the expedition, a participant said, ``A number of soldiers from our regiment died in Kargil operation. And as most of them happened to be from the south, we want to see the conditions of the war widows and disabled soldiers; Whether they are being properly looked after, given financial assistance or if they have been left to fend for themselves.''

Incidentally, the team is accompanied by eight organisers who prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for the participants who cover 100 kms on average daily. And the day for these team members begins at 5 am.

``We have parathas for breakfast. Then at 7 am we start our journey. At 10 am we have tea-break. At 1 pm lunch and rest for an hour. Between 4 pm and 6 pm we reach our destination where if we do not find accommodation, team members sleep in the trucks which carry the luggage of the team members,'' a team member told Express Newsline.

And how do they feel after four days of journey? ``It is exciting. We are enjoying the journey which is a new experience to most of us,'' said one of the participant.

The Soldier Boards have been informed well in advance to arrange for team leader's meeting with all war widows and bring them to the district headquarters to facilitate interaction with Captain Rawat and his men, who are expected to meet 50 of them during the expedition.

Meanwhile, three former soldiers, representing the Zila Sainik Kalyan Punarwashat, welcomed the members of expedition on Wednesday morning at the Circuit House. District Collector Sangeeta Singh and Surat mayor Bhikhabhai Boghra flagged off the expedition, which is sponsored by 10 organisations, including the ONGC, the Indian Oil, Gujarat Maritime Board, GSPC and GIDC.