Kolkata, December 11 (MExN): The TSK 25k Marathon will be held on December 17 at Kolkata. The special feature of this edition is participation of differently abled and elderly people in the run. Passion is the dominant theme for TSK 25K Marathon. Running alongside international athletes like Keninisa Bekele and Helah Kiprop will be individuals who have battled societal stereotype with their passion for running. Differently abled citizens and septuagenarians have registered themselves for the marathon. Vedant Pasari is a 13 year old boy who is joining the run for the first time. He is an arthogryposis patient who’s had twenty major surgeries in the past few years. His enthusiasm for running was resurrected after watching his father run the TSK 25K on 2015. He cites Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh as his idols. Speaking about her son’s participation Vedant’s mother said, “I’m proud of him and hope that the mindset of society which sees disability as an impediment to success will change.” Society’s pessimistic attitude towards differently abled people is a lifelong challenge for Debashree Bhattacharya, aged 26, who has locomotive disability. She started running from her freshman year in college and attributes her friends as an inspiration. However, TSK 25K is her maiden run and she sees it as a new experience. It’s a personal affair for her where she wants to accomplish it for herself rather than exhibitioning it for others. Narayan Prasad Lohia (75) and Pradip Sarkar (71) do not see age as a barrier. Both are first time participants and seemed excited about the marathon. Sports interested Pradip Sarkar ever since he was a child. “It’s hard for me to believe that I’m running in a marathon,” he said. His busy schedule makes it difficult for him to exercise regularly. He goes for an evening run during his free time. However, Narayan Prasad Lohia is comfortable exercising regularly.
