Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leads march in Bihar

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Congressman and related to the family of late US president John F. Kennedy, led a procession of Buddhist devotees in Bihar Wednesday to propagate awareness on environment protection.

An environment activist, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrived at the Buddhist pilgrimage town of Bodh Gaya in Bihar on foot from Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, a monk said.

The procession with nearly 1,000 Buddhists from 27 countries hoped to spread awareness against the use of plastic bags and polythene.

"The motive behind this march on foot is to create awareness among people to protect the environment and stop the use of plastic products," Buddhist monk Bhante Jalbung said.

Jalbung said the march will conclude at Rajgir in Nalanda district Nov 14 with mass prayers. He said Buddhist devotees will stay in Bodh Gaya to offer prayers at Mahabodhi temple before leaving for Rajgir Nov 13.

The 1,500-year-old Buddhist shrine in Bodh Gaya, some 110 km from here, is where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment some 2,550 years ago.