It was an early start for many of us at YUVA yesterday. We left our homes before sunrise to meet the children and youth we are associated with from across Mumbai — Bandra, Mankhurd, Santacruz, Malvani and Vile Parle. We had planned to meet and travel with them to South Mumbai by 6.30 am. It was the day of the 15th Tata Mumbai Marathon 2018.
Our partner DP World was taking part in the marathon, carrying forward our Social Transformation message with them, and they sure needed some cheering. We also cheered on the other runners — there were over 44,000 of them in total, right from amateurs to athletes, senior citizens to the disabled, and the chants of ‘Mumbai, Mumbai’ only grew louder with time. The children and youth were also carrying some posters with them, and they encouraged the people to note their messages.
Among the youth travelling with us was the Malwani Yuva Parishad, a local youth group which works on different value-based issues. They staged their play ‘Compromise’ which deals with issues of violence and injustice against women. The youth enacted situations of women in different professional spheres — journalism, politics, acting, sports, etc — and the kinds of compromises they have made and are expected to make. They added some statistics in their enactment of different social issues, to highlight the pervasive nature of the situation. As the play performance continued, many of the onlookers started watching it with more interest, some even started filming it on their phones.
At the end of the race, our partners met the youth and the children, and thanked them for their support. For the 100 children and youth travelling with us, it was a great opportunity to witness Mumbai’s spirit and interact with the people. The youth expressed interest to participate in the race the next year, and run for a noble cause.
What was your experience like at the Mumbai Marathon? Tell us in the comments section below.
Blog Editor, with inputs from Alicia Tauro
