After the glorious 1st edition of SwachhAbility Run that concluded in Delhi last year, the 2nd edition of the SwachhAbility Run story reopened on 5th November, with its first chapter taking place in the beautiful city of Panjim, Goa.
It was a wonderful morning brimming with infinite energy and mission SwachhAbility kickstarted with the power packed zumba session, prepping up the running enthusiasts for the big day. The beautiful city of Panjim surprised us with an astounding turnout. With 190 divyangs breaking the shackles of doubt and apprehensions, a total of 1711 participants carried the message of swachhta and inclusion of divyangs as equals along the colourful streets of the city.
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, Sh. Manohar Parrikar was the chief guest of the event. He acknowledged and applauded the efforts of Major DP Singh, Kargil war veteran and India’s first blade runner, for conceiving this movement and bringing all the like minded people together for the crucial mission of making India clean and inclusive. Appreciating the abilities of the divyangs, he said, “I consider divyangs as a very important component of the society. They can sometimes contribute more than normal persons.“ Expressing his gratitude to him, Rajnish Kapur, Business Head- Grey Cement, JK Cement Ltd said, “My special thanks to the Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Manohar Parrikar who has kindly accepted to grace the event and that gives us a big boost.”
Veer Nari, Smt. Neha M Mayekar and War Mother, Smt. Shinde Taramai flagged off the 3 km and 10 km runs. It was a spectacular sight watching people of all ages and from all walks of life coming together for a common mission. 1100 school children from 20 schools and bubbling with tremendous energy put their creativity to best use by displaying placards which spoke of the messages in favour of nation’s service. The divyangs mustered all their strength with an aim to revamp the society’s perception about their abilities and proved to the world that they are capable of doing everything a normal person can.
After the successful completion of the run, the participants took to the brooms and as a part of the swachhta drive, cleaned a designated area, which would henceforth be taken care of by Goa College of Home Science, Campal. Watching the divyangs and the children so committedly participating in the swachhta drive was a huge inspiration for all and it was an excellent way of teaching the children the importance of cleanliness and familiarizing them with their responsibility towards the society.
With everybody investing so much efforts and time in this noble cause, rewarding them for their contribution was essential. So trophies were given away by the chief guest and the veer naris to the winner schools, divyangs and several other participants as an appreciation of their hard work. The thunderous voice of Major DP Singh echoed in the ground as he led the audience to take the pledge to respect and value every creation of God and keep their surroundings clean and beautiful. The splendid event concluded with the National Anthem which never fails to infuse us with the feelings of patriotism and undying love for the nation.
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