The Tata Medical Center Kolkata Marathon will be run on January 5, 2014 in Kolkata and it is in support of underprivileged cancer patients at the Center. Celebrities like Sourav Ganguly, Sonam Kapoor, Kajol, Waheeda Rehman, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Sharmila Tagore and Usha Uthup and Bengal’s iconic actors Prosenjit and Rituparna Sengupta and many more have come forward and agreed to support the cause.
Announcing the Kolkata Marathon, Sourav Ganguly, former Team India captain said, “Hopefully we can do enough to raise funds for the medical centre. I’ll make sure that I run and make it a memorable one. We need to make it a success. I am keen to make it a regular affair. May be in the future years, I can participate a bit more. We all have kids… we try to provide the best to them. We don’t realise it till you actually suffer.”
“The whole idea behind Dil Diyey Douroben, the call of the heart, is to wipe a tear off a child’s face,” said Geeta Gopalakrishnan, Director of donor relationships at Tata Medical Center.
Dr Mammen Chandy, Director of Tata Medical Center, Prochy Mehta, Organising Secretary of the marathon and Farzan Heerjee, the chief of corporate relations, Tata Steel, is also expected to be present on the occasion.
The Kolkata Marathon is the largest and biggest marathon in Eastern India and offers the highest ever prize money for the winners. The last edition of the Kolkata Marathon saw a large turnout of participants take to the streets of Kolkata. The Kolkata Marathon aims to promote athletics in the state and give Indian athletes a platform to showcase their talent.
Reportedly, moved by the cause, over 5,000 runners have already pledged themselves to demonstrate their support. All proceeds barring the registration fee that covers the administration of the Run or Walk will go towards the treatment of underprivileged child patients at Tata Medical Center. Responding to the dire need for access to advanced treatment and care, the Tata Group has gifted a Rs 350 crores not-for-profit cancer hospital to the people of Eastern India.
EH News Bureau