They run to serve

IT WAS a mixed crowd. Of the elders and the young, the abled and the less- abled, the gentry and the indigent. In distinct congruence of outfit, they ran, to provide support to the less fortunate and the `differently abled'.

Gandhi Mandapam was brimming with people right up from 3 p.m., an hour before all was to begin. The Citizens, or should we say the concerned citizens, were to run through the streets of Chennai for a cause.

Soon after the clock struck four, the gathering began to move out of the gate and down Sardar Patel Road. The destination was Gandhi Statue, Marina. The cause: mobilising money to support different NGOs working in various fields to provide better services. That was what Citizens' Run was all about - involving people for the cause. The beneficiaries for the current year are Karunai Villa Trust for the mentally handicapped, Anbu Karangal, Speed, ICDS noon meal centre, Exnora Vocational Training Centre and Anjugam.

Participation was from all quarters - the various voluntary organisations, corporate agencies, citizens forums, students and individuals - both within and outside the country. Among the long band of runners were also seen a small but significant representation from the U.K., the British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Michael Herridge, his family and companions, waving small Union Jack pennants along the way. ``I am surprised that the line is not bigger,'' he said.

The highlight, however, was participation of the physically and mentally challenged individuals who braved all odds to take their cause to the people of Chennai. Many of them carried placards thanking Citizens' Run for their endeavour in helping them to achieve a better life.

Perhaps, the most encouraging factor, or personality, is Mr. R. Sridhar, who runs a school for special children. For him, it is a family function which he has to attend. Himself physically challenged after a polio attack during childhood and bound to the wheelchair, he has made it to the run on all four earlier occasions. The concept was gaining popularity in the city but there is still a long way to go. The event, he felt, also gains significance in the light of the Erwadi incidents.

Citizens' forums such as the Indian Scientists Against Nuclear Weapons (ISANW) took the opportunity to publicise their issue too, through slogans written on the T-shirts. At the end of the 5 km jog, the sands of Marina were the venue for a get together of sorts for the participants. They then dispersed hoping that the next morning's sun bring fresh rays into the lives of those for whom the event was got up.

By Saptarshi Bhattacharya

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Section  : Southern States
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