A mile to remember: Lucknow braves haze to run for unity

LUCKNOW: Manpower without unity is not a strength, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had once said.
Hundreds of city residents took his advice earnestly to brave a blanket of haze on Thursday and participate in a one-mile run to mark the statesman’s 144th birth anniversary, which is celebrated nationwide as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
From schoolchildren to teachers; from sports buffs to businessmen; and from civilians to men in uniform — people from every walk of life joined the Run for Unity that was flagged off from Sardar Patel’s statue at GPO to KD Singh Babu Stadium.
If T-shirt, track pants and cap formed the sporty ensemble, many wore masks to beat the foul air.
“It is unfortunate that we do not have clean air to breathe in today, but such odds cannot stop us from paying our respects to a great visionary who who unified 562 princely states to make one country,” 23-year-old chemistry teacher Abhay Singh Chauhan told TOI. “This is a mile to remember,” he added.
While some said they had joined the run to celebrate a historic occasion when Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh officially became two Union Territories, others wanted to honour India’s first deputy PM’s relentless struggle to erase the boundaries of caste, creed and religion.
Brijpal Singh, a businessman from Indiranagar, said: “Till Article 370 granted J&K special status, it never felt like the state was a part of India. Finally, it has become an inseparable part of our one nation. ”
Nasir Khan, who joined the run with his 14-year-old son from Nakkhas, said Sardar Patel always harped on how the barriers of caste and community hampered growth. “For him, India came first... before religion, caste or creed. We wish to follow in his footsteps,” Khan added.
Gomtinagar resident Shilpa Gupta could not agree more.
“He (Sardar Patel) showed us that there can be unity in diversity. I am running for peace and harmony,” she said.