The bus which started its journey from Dhaka, Bangladesh capital, marks the historic inauguration of the bus service between Dhaka and Calcutta in the first instance, though delayed for months because of time-consuming negotiations between the two countries. But the Left Front Government of West Bengal and the Chief Minister, Jyoti Basu took up the matter with both the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Wajed and the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and after prolonged negotiations got the agreement signed between the two countries.

As the bus crossed into the Indian side, the BSF band played the welcome band. From Haridaspur to Bongaon, the bus moved at snail’s pace as thousands of men lined up on either sides of the highway virtually blocking the carriage way in their enthusian. They had waited for the bus to arrive for hours on end closing their shops and establishment much earlier than usual.

The 312 km journey of the bus passed off without any hitch although earlier reports had said that a blockade would be raised somewhere in Bangladesh preventing its entry into India. The security arrangement for the bus and its passengers were made fool-proof. Possibly the people living on the two sides of the border and speaking the same language-Bengali-chose not to stand in the way of the bus service being run with the consent of the two countries. They reminisced that they were the people who were the victims of partition besides those in Punjab only. History has it that the British before the actual partition in 1947 even tried to divide Bengal in the first decade of this century. And they succeeded in their gameplan in 1947. Even at least for the time being, on Tuesday afternoon the feeling of separation made way for expression of genuine brotherhood.

Delegations of 39 visitors were travelling in the bus. Of them, 24 are senior government officials, 13 were journalists and two were bus crew members.

"They ran after us the way they would if some Prime Minister arrived," said Mr Abdul Matin Akhand, Director of Bangladesh Road Corporation, Mr Akhand is leading the delegation. Mr Akhand had come to Calcutta before. "But today’s reception was overwhelming", he said. He added, "Never would we have expected ordinary people to be so happy to see us. We are touched, "Mr Akhand said.

At the Haridashpur the delegation was received by the Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner, Sheikh Ahmed Jalal, the Chairman of the West Bengal surface Transport Corportion, Ashoke Bose and the Managing Director of the West Bengal State Transport Corporation Mr Shantanu Goswami.

According to the Director of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, about 0.3 million people travel to India from Bangladesh every year. Around 0.15 students from Bangladesh prosecute their studies in India. They would be the beneficiaries of the bus service. He also predicted the number of buses would have to be increased for this service in future. The bus fare to be paid in dollars would be. The date for introduction of the regular bus service after the dry-run was expected to be finalized at an official-level meeting in Calcutta on April 8.

The bus finally came from Bongaon to Karunamoyee bus depot at Salt Lake. The members of the delegation were put up in city hotel in the evening,

‘Shyamoli" returned home on Thursday following the same route as before and amidst same enthusiasm expressed by people of the two countries. But not alone. The bus named Souhardya and provided by India for the service accompanied it. There were journalists in it too.