Like every mortal I too had a dream when I first entered the campus of Great Lakes Institute of Management. It seemed like one which no one else here shared with me, or atleast I believed so, until I met Paripurna, a gold medalist marathon runner from Infosys. I have always envisioned a healthy and happy India. But health comes with a big price tag. It needs consistent investment of time for physical
activities and a self-check on one’s eating and sleeping habits. The big question : Is it so difficult? I always question myself that why do I fall into the trap of unhealthy eating habits and disturb my sleep cycle over work or play, even though I am fully aware of its repercussions in the long run.
Meeting the health conscious people at Great Lakes rooted the idea of a trend of healthy living, and this is how the whole concept of a ‘Great Lakes Run’ sprouted. The major tasks which had to be handled were – the decision on the distance and identification of a suitable track. After assessing various aspects of our initially considered track sets, we finally decided to organize the run at a 4 km arc near Annupuram. The credit for helping out in this decision goes to Sankaran sir as he advised us regarding the local intricacies.
Once, these important decisions were made, we were all set to move to the next phase – ‘facilitating awareness and ensuring people involvement’. The Branding and Public Relations team at Great Lakes, worked hard to spread the word about this run in the college as well as the nearby areas. Apart from the students, we had complete support from the faculty members and the college administration. Everyone helped us in every way they could and as a team we kept the show running.
Finally the D-day arrived with all the preparations complete, and all the people excited about the first ever Great Lakes run. But the night before, we faced a challenge from the Nature God. It seemed that our efforts were being questioned by Him in the form of a fierce thunderstorm and heavy rains. Our heart started sinking from the fear of failure after putting in our best. It was time to ask another big question – Can we still pull this off?
But as they say ‘with intentions as pure as the Ganges, nothing can put you down’. These words proved themselves when in the morning, the rain subsided, and the beautiful clear sky showed the light of success with the first ray of the sun. We succeeded in getting
over 150 participants from our college and outside to participate in the historical run. There was a stroke of euphoria that had gripped the atmosphere. Everyone around, the students, support staff, volunteers and even the local audience was full of energy and enthusiasm. Each participant completed the run and everyone was glad with the way things turned out. The event finished with a wave of fun and love for fitness among all. But in the end, it left us with another big question : had the run ended or just started? And like each time, we had the answer. Yes, the race towards a healthier and happier future had just started, and it is we who will take the responsibility of making this contribution to our college, society and our country.
Abhineet Sinha
PGPM 2014 batch
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