This October 2nd, the Gandhi Statue at Regal Square in Indore was greeted by a pleasant sight. 7 am saw 5000 odd Indoreans take time out to make a statement by running for peace. The marathon organised by the Indian Institute of Management, Indore was a resounding success and the turnout reflected the city’s belief that terror would not cow them down.

The run which kicked off from SGITS College Grounds saw enthusiastic participation in both the categories - the 3 km Celebratory Run which enabled everyone in Indore to make a statement and the 10 km Peace Run for more serious runners. From tiny tots to octogenarians, the event captured the imagination of the masses and everyone from school kids to the sports cadre of the army turned up. Students from over 55 institutions were out in full force and the corporate crowd too pitched in.

The first prize of a Honda Stunner was grabbed by Mr. Vijay Yadav who clocked 38 minutes in the 10 km run. In the female category Ms Smita walked away with the honours. There were prizes galore for the other participants too including a Compaq Presario laptop, an LCD TV, mobile phones and T-shirts.

Tejas Bhat, one of the organisers, said the event would not have been possible without the help of 350 odd volunteers from IIM Indore, 100 NCC cadets and also the sponsors. “We are delighted with the turnout. The city was unanimous in taking a stand against terrorism and the level of participation and enthusiasm were heartening. We knew Indore would rise to the occasion.”

And that’s exactly what Indore did. Participants spoke out about the need for reaffirming the commitment to peace and expressed solidarity with the event. Said Mr Ajay Gupta who had turned up for the event with both his kids: “It’s really an excellent initiative and Gandhi Jayanti was a perfect occasion to let the country know that Indore has not been scarred by the communal violence which rocked our city a few months back. We need more events like this to bring the people together and make them forget differences.” The resounding shouts of Bharat Mata Ki Jai at the end of the event was proof enough that Indore agreed with him.

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