Roshni running 65 km on 1st May

Roshni running 65 km on 1st May

KalimNews, Kalimpong, April 23: Roshni Rai the Marathon Princess of the hills and popularly known as Pedong Express is running the 'Comrades Marathon 2012'. She is running a 65 km friendly practice run in Kalimpong on 1st May with 5 other national runners.

The Comrades Marathon is the ultra marathon of 89km and it takes place in South Africa between the cities of Durban and Petermaritzburg. Every year the route of the Comrades Marathon changes to down run and up run. The Comrades Marathon 2012 is down run, which means it is starting from Petermaritzburg and finishing at Durban. To get the entry for the Comrades Marathon one has to run one International marathon of 42km in less than 5hrs. In India, Mumbai Marathon is the only recognised marathon to qualify for any international marathon.

Roshni has qualified for the Comrades Marathon by running Mumbai Marathon in January 2012 in less than 5hrs.

This year from all over the world 18000 runners are going to participate in the Comrades Marathon and from India only 30 people have registered. For Olympics 2012 in various sports total no of athletes are 15000 and for Comrades Marathon it is 3000 more.

The Comrades Marathon was first started in 1921 by Vic Clapham, who was an Army Ambulance Driver after the World War I, in the memory of his Comrades who did not return from various battle fields. 
Roshni is also going to dedicate the Comrades marathon to all the Gorkha Soldiers, who have sacrificed their lives for Mother India.

According to Roshni all Indians are aware that there are Gorkha Regiments in the Indian Army but they don't know how Gorkhas are Indian. The history of Darjeeling is intertwined with that of Bengal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal. Until the early 19th century, the hilly area around Darjeeling was historically controlled by the kingdoms of Bhutan and Sikkim, while the plains around Siliguri were intermittently occupied by the kingdom of Nepal.

In 1828, a delegation of British East Indian Company officials on its way to Sikkim stayed in Darjeeling and decided that the region was a suitable site for a sanatorium for British soldiers. The Company negotiated a lease of the area from the Chogyal of Sikkim in 1835. In 1864, the Bhutanese rulers and the British signed a treaty that ceded the passes leading through the hills and Kalimpong to the British. By 1866, Darjeeling District had assumed its current shape and size.

Roshni's mother tongue is Nepali and she is proud to be called an Indian. Here, Roshni adds "Everywhere we go, we face identity crises, every time, I say my mother tongue is Nepali, I am being asked whether I am from Nepal".

Nepali is a recognized National language under the Constitution of India and it is the 9th language mentioned on the Indian Currency.

In an statement Roshni states that every time there is disturbance in any border of India, Darjeeling receives 4-5 dead bodies of her sons, who are serving in Indian Army because Gorkha Regiment is always in front to protect mother India. She clarifies some misconceptions and mind setup of some ignorant Indians "I just want all Indians to know how Gorkha community or the Nepali speaking people are Indians. I will be running the Comrades Marathon of 89km wearing the t-shirt with a slogan- We are Gorkhas and proud to be Indians."

Roshni tried to get the sponsorship for her Comrades marathon but unfortunately, she did not get any sponsorship. She is taking her parents along with her for this prestigious event to South Africa, who will give her the flag of India at the finish line of the Comrades Marathon. Roshni said that "I may have to spend my entire savings for this event but I have no regret because I will be doing it for my community, rather I am feeling proud of myself."

From India, Amit Sheth was the first runner to participate in the Comrades Marathon 2009 but he did not finish the distance in 12 hours.

In 2010, he completed the Comrades Marathon with his wife and after that he wrote a book 'Dare to run'. One has to complete the distance of 89km in maximum 12 hours, otherwise they will declare DID NOT FINISH (DNF in marathon lingo). Apart from 12hours cut off timing, there are 5 cut offs in between which runners have to reach within the time limit, otherwise, they will not let runners to continue.

"I have full confidence in my training for the Comrades. I have run 50km on 18th March 2012 and 60km on 7th April, 2012 in Mumbai." "Every weekend I am running 30-50km (Saturday- Sunday) and on weekdays, I am running 6-18km before going to office, as a part of my training. Now on 1st May, 2012, I will be running 65km from Siliguri to Pedong (Darjeeling), which will be my last longest run before the Comrades Marathon on 3rd June, 2012." Roshni stated to KalimNews.

"Four of my runner friends from Mumbai and one from Bangalore are coming to support me to run the distance of 65km in Darjeeling because running such a long distance all alone is not possible." Roshni said "Vishwanathan Jayaram is from Bangalore and he is coming to Darjeeling to support me to run the distance of 65km." He is the ardent follower of Gandhiji. He is coming with two garlands of cotton yarn, which Gandhiji used to wear. He has requested Roshni to take those two Garlands with her to South Africa and put them in the statues of Gandhiji, which are in Petermaritzburg (where Gandhiji was pushed from the 1st class compartment of train) and another in Duban and certainly Roshni is going to do this as a proud Indian Gorkha.