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Ramnath Biswas
Ramnath Biswas was a Bengalee born Indian cyclist in colonial India. He was known as the globetrotter and his works on his travel accounts around the world.

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Ramnath Biswas, Indian CyclistRamnath Biswas was an Indian revolutionary, soldier, globetrotter and travelogue writer from Assam. He is known for his travel around the globe in a bicycle like Bimal Mukherjee.

Early Life of Ramnath Biswas
Ramnath Biswas was born on 13th January 1894. Ramnath was born to Birajanath Biswas and Gunamayee Devi in the year 1894 in the Vidyabhusanpara locality of Baniachang village in the Sylhet District of Assam which now falls under Habiganj District of Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. In his childhood he attended the Harischandra High School till the eighth grade. He had to quit studies due to the untimely death of his father.

Career of Ramnath Biswas
Young Ramnath Biswas started his career as a manager at the Jatiya Bhandar Samiti, a Swadeshi enterprise based in Sylhet now in Bangladesh. Jatiya Bhandar Samiti had a motor car repairing workshop and Ramnath Biswas learnt driving. During his tenure in this organization, Ramnath Biswas also learnt how to ride a bicycle and became quite expert at it. Then he left the job at Jatiya Bhandar Samiti and took up another job. During this time Ramnath Biswas secretly joined the Anushilan Samiti based in Kolkata, West Bengal. However, his association with the revolutionary group became public and he was expelled from his job. During this time the First World War broke out. Ramnath Biswas joined the Bengali Paltan and went to the war in Mesopotamia. In 1924, Ramnath Biswas took up a job with the British Navy and moved to British Malaya which is now Malyasia.

Later Career of Ramnath Biswas
In 1931, Ramnath Biswas embarked on his first world tour on a bicycle. In his possession Ramnath Biswas had a pair of slippers, two wrappers, a bicycle and a box containing tools for bicycle repair. The bicycle frame had a metal board with the message - "Round the world, Hindoo traveller". On 7th July 1931, Ramnath started his journey from Queen Street in Singapore. The expatriate Indians of Singapore gathered on the occasion to wish him success. Ramnath Biswas cycled through Malaya, Siam, Indo-China, China, Korea, Japan and reached Canada. In Canada, he was arrested and jailed for a month. In 1934, he returned to India. On his return to his native place the village arranged huge felicitation programme at the historic Eralia grounds. At the programme, while sharing his experience of his world tour, Ramnath Biswas described Baniachang as the largest village of the world. After that, did many bicycle tours throughout the world.

Ramnath Biswas after Independence of India
Ramnath Biswas himself founded a publication house by the name of Paryatak Prakashana and began to publish his books. After few years with Paryatak Prakashana he left East Pakistan and settled in Kolkata, which is now in West Bengal. After his arrival at Kolkata, he began to publish his travelogues in Anandabazar Patrika.

Death of Ramnath Biswas
Ramnath Biswas died in the year 1955 in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Related Articles
Cycling Federation of India
Cycling in India
Cyclists in India
Cycle Racing in India
Indian Athletes
Indian Male Athletes
Indian Female Athletes


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