Kolkata rises for a cause, from deep within its heart for Tata Medical Center Kolkata Marathon

Sourav Ganguly with Governor M. K. Narayanan

Around 12,000 plus runners/joggers from in and around Calcutta participated in the Tata Medical Center Kolkata Marathon, Dil Diyey Douroben, organised in association with the ABP Group, to support the treatment of underprivileged cancer patients.

From toddlers, teenagers to elderly people all put their heart first and joined in this noble cause. Some wrapped in mufflers, some clad in windcheaters and one particularly bear chested lined up in front of the Mohammedan Sporting ground.

Singer Usha Uthup started with her hit numbers, riding on an open truck to enthuse the runners before the start.

“They won’t allow me to run the marathon, otherwise I would have done it!” smiled governor M.K. Narayanan. “It’s fabulous! I think the weather suits the enthusiasm,” he added.

At 6.15am, former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly flanked by the governor and commissioner of police, Surajit Kar Purkayastha, flagged off the main 42km run, which was followed soon after by the 11km run for men and women.

Sourav, in a navy-blue tracksuit, could not run along with the others because of the frantic rush of fans. “I came to run, but there are so many people!” smiled the sporting star amid chants of “Dada…Dada!”

Top cop Purkayastha saluted the “spontaneous response” of the people to “a very noble cause”.

Tennis champion Naresh Kumar with wife Sunita and chess grandmaster Dibyendu Barua were also present on the dias.

The behind-the-scenes team was led by Geeta Gopalakrishnan, director, donor relationships, Tata Medical Center. She could not sleep on Saturday night and was on Red Road at the crack of dawn on Sunday.

“Oh god, it’s like a cricket match, except that there are millions of players with Sourav Ganguly leading them! I thought Calcutta was quite laidback, but everybody is out since 4.30am…. Overjoyed is the word,” she smiled.

Prochy Mehta, organising secretary of The Kolkata Marathon, too was overjoyed. “It feels fantastic. We are celebrating the spirit of the city,” she said.

While thousands put their best feet forward to jog down the marathon stretch, Jimmy Vatcha, 62, stood out in his electronic wheelchair, followed closely by wife Khurshid and 13-year-old son Raizan. As the others ran alongside him, Vatcha rode his wheelchair at a steady pace, the green T-shirt tied around his head like a bandana of bonding.

“I have lost a close friend to cancer and know how painful it is to see a loved one afflicted by it. I am here to do my bit for the cause and am overwhelmed to see the turnout,” said Vatcha as he wheeled down Red Road and eventually completed the 4.2km Fun Run.

For the full marathon, the runners started from Red Road and proceeded towards Park Circus via Lenin Sarani. They then ran through EM Bypass past Ruby Hospital and crossed Sukanta Setu through Santoshpur. The second half of the run was covered through Prince Anwar Shah Road and Chetla from where the athletes entered Diamond Harbour Road. The final stretch saw the runners run past Kidderpore and once again enter the Red Road to head for the finishing line.

The other editions that took place soon after were the 11km Mini Marathon and the three races — Fun Run, Corporate Run and School Run — 4.2km each.

The marathon was won by Satya Prakash while Sudha Singh stood first in the women’s Mini Marathon, both of whom received their winner’s cheques — Rs 3.20 lakh for him and Rs 1.10 lakh for her — from state sports minister Madan Mitra.

Once the races were over, a carnival atmosphere of music and dance took over thanks to Uthup’s chartbusters and Mir’s commentary. In between, Tanusree Shankar’s dance troupe put up a choreographed performance in keeping with the theme.

T.V. Narendran, managing director of Tata Steel, ran his second 11km marathon on Sunday after his debut at Singapore a year ago. “Even though Sourav Ganguly drew very loud cheers, it was heartening to see Calcuttans reserve their best for the run. A marathon is a great property for any city to have and we hope to continue our support next year as well,” said Narendran.