Nagpur Marathon: Run of Chaos

31st January, 2010, Nagpur ran for non-violence and peace. Yes, the 2nd Nagpur International Marathon was held on the occasion of International Non-Violence Day (Gandhiji’s death anniversary) which fell a day earlier.
Registrations had started more than a month ago. I had done mine and my brother’s registration and had secured the yellow T-shirts after an hour long tussle 15 days earlier.
As usual the quad comprising of me, Santu, Prasad & Taresh set out on Sunday morning for the 5.7 Km Non-violence run or the Ahimsa Daud. This time we missed the KP poha (It was all finished when we reached)! Lot of publicity had been done for the marathon and people had responded well. About a lakh participants were there. While the traditional races had the numbers limited to a few hundred in each category, Ahimsa Daud had a whopping 77,000 registrations.
While the other races were organized satisfactorily, Ahimsa Daud was a total chaos. At the race venue, Kasturchand Park, people started the race at their own accord. There was no formal announcement of a start and more confusion was created by the cultural programme going on there, in which people were actually coerced by the organizers so that they don’t mix with the participants of the competitive races. While many, including us, were watching the programme, the crowd at the rear started thinning. Then only we realized that we should also make the move. Even when the race un-officially started, the cultural programme continued! So, much for co-ordination!
Different banners and logos were being showcased on different issues as it is generally in these kinds of events. Near Institute of Science another mismanagement came into picture. The water pouches were strewn all over and it seemed like a water tanker had upturned at that place! No volunteer was seen and nobody had cared to stop this waste of water. Ironically, when we reached the aforesaid place, the banner in front of us was showcasing, “SAVE WATER. SAVE LIFE!” “ALL IS WELL” was the most famous banner and that is what kept the race going!
Lot more water was wasted at the finish point i.e. at Yeshwant Stadium. The road was again drenched along with the participants. Organizers were unavailable to stop this wastage as well. We, drenched a little, entered the stadium for the final ceremony. A yellow crowd welcomed us there. It seemed like a yellow sea had entered the stadium. There was no organization over here as well. Water pouches were being thrown here and there and the programme was disoriented. When Vaishali Samant was singing, a band and later a dance troupe was performing on the other side of the ground. We spectators were confused and later the coming of the Full-Marathon athletes totally diverted our attention away from Miss Samant! She eventually had to back out. At the race front as usual, Africans were at the front.
Then came the chief guests! When Azharuddin came, little confusions started broiling. Many boys who were in the field, unlike us who were in the stands, started foraying into the VIP area. But when Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan & Neetu Chandra entered, the crowd went beserk. All the journos crowded the whole aisle with their microphones and cameras. And more and more of the crowd dashed into the VIP area. Everybody wanted the stars for themselves!
Disgusted and disappointed with just the satisfaction that we had glimpsed Azhar & Vidya, we moved out.
The event was really ill-managed. Even a high-school function is organized more properly. Even though the race was suppose to champion Gandhian values, I am sorry to say it just failed. Add to this two camera crazy fools who turned up as Gandhi! Who cares about Gandhiji’s values, it’s the vanity and pomposity which sells. Even though it was an international event, which could actually act as a platform to showcase Nagpur to the world, the leaders failed to break the party lines. The event had participation from only one political party while other parties maintained a respectable absence. Only few days ago all of them were hobnobbing for separate Vidarbha. The event showed unity and solidarity of the Nagpurians, all turning up at so early in the morning, wearing same clothes, running side by side and then the collective rowdiness. But it also exposed the shallowness of these politicians!
Lot more effort has to be put in to organize such events in future. And I’d also like to condemn the actions of the participants. They should be well-behaved next time. This time they have just ruined the reputation of Nagpur with their silly actions.
Hoping for a better function next time, I sign off.
Jai Hind!!!