Thousands of people on both sides of the international border cheered the inaugural run of 'Souhardya', as the bus has been named, which opened a new chapter.

The flower-bedecked bus carrying eminent personalities, covering a distance of 360 kms from Calcutta was received by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina at a colourful ceremony at the Osmani Memorial in Dhaka. West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu were also present on the occasion.

Unlike the hyped Delhi-Lahore bus which crossed the Wagah border four months ago, the inaugural run of Souhardya was a low key affair, however it has definitely reinforced the journey towards peace and goodwill.

Welcoming the inaugural bus run, Mr. Vajpayee said: “It is only the beginning of many more such facilities for the common people of both the countries.”Stressing the bond of friendship between the two countries, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said: “The role of India and her people in our great war of liberation is an important chapter in the history. During the war of liberation, ten million people, leaving their homeland had taken shelter in India. The people of Bangladesh still remember the rare example set by India and her people with gratitude for saving a huge number of refugees, providing them with food, clothing, shelter and health care and extending moral support towards the liberation war.”

The Bangladesh Prime Minister rightly reflected the mood of the people of her country. In fact, the desire of friendship in Bangladesh is so strong that the protest organised by some fundamentalists against the opening of the bus route evoked a very poor response.

During his visit, Mr. Vajpayee met the Bangladesh President and held a meeting with the Sheikh Hasina.