Chennai Marathon
We are organizing a Run for a Cause event the “Chennai Marathon” on January 13, 2007 at Chennai involving the public of Chennai and all other well-wishers to the cause. The cause for the first Chennai Marathon is Water. We are organizing this event in partnership with the District administration, the corporates, the academic institutions, media, the women’s Self Help Groups etc.
There are many such events being organised in India recently. The Mumbai Marathon has been successful in raising public awareness and resources for development causes. The Siruthuli initiative in Coimbatore organised a Noyyal Yatra with the District administration, Corporates and the public, which was a huge success in educating and involving the public about water and its conservation. It also led to concrete actions by the all the actors involved.
Water is the very basic need for human being. There are places in South India where people walk more than 5 kilometers to get 10 liters of drinking water. The tanks and ponds that fulfilled their needs and acted as lifelines for agriculture and water needs are today in a state of disrepair. Bringing back the community ownership and management of these resources would mitigate the problem to a large extent. DHAN foundation has been working on this concept for over the last fifteen years through its Vayalagam Tankfed agriculture development programme. These water bodies have their relevance in meeting the water requirements in both the rural and urban areas.
This event would provide an opportunity to reflect on the current status of the rich legacy of water that we have inherited and what we need to do ensure that our next generation is also able to benefit from it. Otherwise, Chennai would slowly turn into a desert and it may be too late to save our vanishing tanks and ponds.
We expect 40,000 people to actively participate in this event. There are five sub events - a mini marathon, a celebrity run, a Walk for a cause, roller-skating so that everyone has an opportunity to participate in an event of their choice. A series of exhibitions, competitions and cultural events highlighting this theme would be part of the main event. We are keen that this event besides creating awareness will result in concrete action as well.
We would use the resources raised through this event for the renovation and development of a few water bodies in Chennai, which are crucial for meeting the water needs of Chennai. Except the Chitirai Festival, there is no other event in Chennai in which the public can participate enthusiastically and for a cause.
We believe that we would be able to make the Chennai Marathon into a new and defining event for Chennai, which would bring more and more people together for a common cause with the support from all of you.
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- Chennai Marathon Organising Committee
