13 years ago
Milind Soman:Wow .... It's the final day! Who could have imagined we would complete this challenge, even I at one point I clearly remember in Udaipur I just wanted to give up and felt like quitting. But the cause ran deep within my veins and in my heart, with the team behind me pushing me every step of the way quiet literally we beat the odds and achieved the impossible! 1500 Kms from the Qutab Minar in New Delhi to Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai... WE DID IT!
The day began at Goregaon, where Rahul Bose joined us and we wore the hat of a scientist and measured the width of a tree and learnt about how tree surveys are done in order to record and keep a check on the environment. This being especially important in urban areas where tree cover is fast diminishing. Now thinking back at the past month we achieved so much and met so many wonderful people and had so many incredible experiences that I will cherish for a lifetime, from the Visit to Tilonia where I had my first cup of solar cooked chai to Ajmer where we tested the waters of Anna Sagar lake and appealed to the people of Ajmer to help restore this lake to its original glory. We also visited a Sanganer block printing workshop and played a game of snakes and ladders near Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Each and every day we attempted and completed a marathon, Its unfathomable all in order to create awareness for our environment. Today we had arrived we ran with Major D P Singh, India's first amputee runner who is himself a Kargil war veteran and had lost his leg in the war and Vinod Punmiya another man who beat the odds and completed Delhi to Bombay by cycle in 31 hours last year. As we got to Yash Raj there was band and pyro with confetti the doors opened to the green recycled set of NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 with Priyanka, Vikram and Cyrus waiting with open arms and a couple of surprises. First surprise I get to be a super-hero for a second time in my life as I was presented with a comic book that is based on me the GREEN MAN who fights villains like Plastic Man! I loved it the concept the artwork the story just fantastic what a great surprise!
But the best was yet to come as out walked Rahul Bose with a certificate in hand conferring upon us a LIMCA BOOK WORLD RECORD...YES A WORLD RECORD for having completed a 1500 KM Run for the environment! This just blew me away, we in no way knew about this or even thought about but actually having received such a title we all truly felt so proud! I felt so proud of my Runners Apurba, Raj, Mahesh, Sajjan and of course Sumedha!
A fantastic experience, just could not have done it without the support of the NDTV production team and Toyota who actually gifted me a car at the end it all, just floored and humbled by today it truly felt like a culmination! Love you all, its been a fantastic journey feels like dream, My body will take some time to recoup but your support has made it all possible. Thank you and see you next time who knows maybe we might just pull off another impossible task of Kargil to Kanyakumari its just a thought, but thoughts often turn into reality when you least expect it! Sigining off @MilindRunning #GoGreen #Delhi2Bombay #SayNotoPlastic #Goodbye
Milind Soman:Looks like we made to Mumbai on day 30. A huge amount of well wishers, runners joined us at Sanjay Gandhi National Park bright and early at 7 AM. Routine joggers and runners too came up to congratulate me and the team. It was fantastic to see many of them following my tweets, blog and television programming on NDTV.
Have realised finally that we truly have set a new standard for distance running. Everyone now keeps asking me whats the plan for next year I jokingly reply Kargil to Kanyakumari but who knows #Ahemdabad2Bombay and #Delhi2Bombay too were just mere dreams that turned into reality.
Was impressed by how well the Sanjay Gandhi Park Administration has taken to environmental protection, could not see any plastic inside the park, and I got to finally ride a Bicycle for a bit provided by the administration they are also promoting people to use bicycles as they are an efficient and clean mode of transportation for managable distances.
Really looking forward to the BIG DAY tommorrow as we enter Yash Raj. Wonder how it will all be. Getting goosebumps as a write this have no idea how we have managed to complete this great green journey almost unscratched! Thanks for all your wishes, prayers and support #Love #Delhi2Bombay #GoGreen #SayNoToPlastic
Milind Soman:Barely any distance left now decided to bring the tally to 1480 KMs by end of day 29 which we succeded in as a team. I dont know where the past 29 days have gone and so lucky we have reached Maharashtra safe and sound.
More and more runners and citizens connecting with me and letting me know how inspired they are after seeing this run. Delhi to Bombay, 1500 Kms making the impossible possible!Had a webchat to connect with my fans. Truly humbled by the congrats pouring in with the final day fast approaching.
Was impressed that people wanted to connect with me on both the run as well as environmental issues looks like this run has truly spread the green message which was its intention.
I feel really proud for my team as without them this journey would have been impossible. We have now halted at Borivalli 1480 Kms done from the Qutab Minar on our way to Yash Raj this Sunday for India's Biggest environmental campaign the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4!
Will be running in Sanjay Gandhi National Park in the morning tommorow to do just 11 Kms so that I can leave some distance for the last day! Thanks for all your support and wishes @MilindRunning #GoGreen #SayNoToPlastic #Delhi2Bombay
Milind Soman:Began the run at 7 AM today heading straight towards Vasai. Not much left to do now, took it easy just did a 15 KM run in the morning. Lost 7KGs of weight during this run so far. I dont think I have ever been this skinny. Days are now seeming as if they are merging together just cannot wait for the weekend, Big things lined up.
Twitter is buzzing, extremely happy with all the response and wishes coming in. Thankful that we have had no injuries so far and have made it on schedule. This was all done with no training or special diets just goes to show we can do anything we set our minds to.
Have planned a webchat just like the previous weeks, should be interesting now that we are at the final stages of the run. I hope many of you log in and post your questions I will be waiting to respond to each and everyone of you. We have completed 1446 Kilometers so far and have halted at Vasai in Maharasthra, Yes we finally have reached our 5th and final state and now Mumbai is just inches away. Thanks for all your support and please do keep them coming @MilindRunning #Delhi2Bombay #GoGreen
Milind Soman:Time to bring the KM Distance to Mumbai down to double digits. Thats right that was the agenda for today being so ahead of schedule we can now run at our own pace. We began the run at around 7:00 AM did a quick warm up of 5 kms then joined the Citizens of Vapi at 7:30 AM got delayed a bit, blame the other runners these young guys just cant keep up!
We began our run with around 70 odd citizens of Vapi joining us on the Green Run, all in matching T-shirts that read Less Plastics and the design was inspired from the Greenathon T-Shirt. The Vapi Industrial Association helped promote the cause of less plastics and got out and actually ran with us. Vapi being a very polluted city has I guess started to turn things around but still We saw so much Plastic waste, Cows eating Plastic waste it was just disheartening.
There was a lot of local media around, I was glad to see so many people taking notice of the Green Run and its message. Twitter was buzzing brightly too quiet a few stars have been messaging me off late wishing us luck! In the evening decided to take a slight detour since we dint have many Kms to go we managed to cross the 1400 KM mark today and proceeded towards Daman & Diu, Finally got some time to roam around the beach. Final Count Day 27 is 1414 Kms. Just 86 Kms Left in this Green Journey! See you on Sunday @Yash Raj! Keep Following us @MilindRunning #GoGreen #Delhi2Bombay.
DAY 26 has arrived 1350 KM mark has been surpassed. Got off to a great relatively late start at around 7:30 was welcomed graciously at Atul Vidyalay by the students and teachers and even parents who were pushing their kids to run as far as possible with us. As we ran past scores of trees I could not see a single piece of litter or plastic anywhere on the campus. If only our countryside could follow this example and remain clean and green we wouldn't need to do such a run to help create awareness about green issues.Was truly impressed by some of the kids they ran hard and did not give up at all till the end. Well we knew they couldn't do as much as us but it was inspiring to see them give everything they had into the run. Had a good chat with them about environmental issues and what they could do being the next generation to help sort out this mess that we are in. Told them stories of how we saw plastic everywhere on the highway on route from Delhi to Mumbai. Also answered plenty of questions regarding running.
During the photo session with the kids a few of them yelled "Daddy" for their fathers to help take thier pics to which I would always turn around subconsciously I guess my brain is telling me something ;) Just under 150 KMs to go now well ahead of schedule slowing down the run and pacing ourselves as we get to YASH RAJ FILM STUDIOS on the 20th Of May for India's Biggest Environmental Campaign the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon Join us as we fight to rid our great nation of plastics. Keep following us @MilindRunning #GreenRun #GoGreen
Milind Soman:25 Days over 1300 kms Yes we are really doing this. People have called us mad, eccentric but even so they are full of respect for the effort each and every single runner is putting into this 1500 KM challenge. From the school children who join us or runners from different parts of the country everyone is just amazed that we have done so much in such a short while. Doesn't really feel that short when one realises we have almost been on the road for nearly a month now.
Had a good 25 KM run in the morning left Surat quiet late this time around at 7 AM, felt good to finally sleep in if one can call it that! The morning broadcasts have started on NDTV 24x7 which I am now getting slowly used to seeing that the run is close to completion. Fantastic to see the social media also buzzing generously for us.
In the evening we had hit Valsad one of the last remaining points of Gujarat this enormous state.
We travelled to do a quick run at Atul Vidyalaya which happened to be the host of the next morning run where we would be meeting future marathon runners. What a lovely campus was taken aback by its forest cover. Was treated to a special guided tour of the green campus by its principal who graciously offered to host the run in the morning the next day. Cant wait to run with the students tomorrow should be great fun at an amazing location. Thanks for all your wishes keep following us @MilindRunning #GreenRun #GoGreen!
Milind Soman:Began the run bright and early in lovely overcast conditions in Surat. Joined by a lot of enthusiastic runners from Surat. Runners who were constantly in touch with me through twitter. wonderful to see most of them complete the entire days run with us. Was yet again dissapointed with the level of pollution by industries in Surat.
The run felt easier thanks to the fantastic conditions and was impressed to see many runners coming up to me and letting me know they have been inspired to start running more for better health and hopefully I have also instilled in them to do thier bit for the environment.
Lots of prayers and wishes coming across to us the entire team now that we are in the culminating stage of the run getting closer to the maharashtra border I can nearly smell Mumbai...err Home! Tommorow we head towards Valsad. 1085 KMs completed just 175 Kms left in this dream run from Delhi to Mumbai. Keep supporting us @MilindRunning #GreenRun #GoGreen
Milind Soman:Yes finally a 6 am start. Now that we are in tge final stage of the run we can begin the run slightly later and do fewer kilometers by pacing ourselves to mumbai. Soaring temperatures made us feel we took the right decision.
More and more platics on the highway choking the countryside. I hope some of our politicians for once forego thier airfare and do a roadtrip from delhi to bombay and just see the plight of our great country. Had some bhindi rice and daal for dinner ahhh bliss and hitting the bed early as I look ahead to more runnera joining us in surat. keep supporting us @milindrunning #greenrun
Milind Soman:Began the day at 1166 Mark. Started promptly at 5 AM with the Territorial army, this was the third time the boys in green ran with us and it really felt good to see the enthusiasm of the army. We had originally planned for them to do only 8.3 Kms till their regiment but they ran the entire 10 KM stretch to the highway and even some army kids joined us cycles, it really motivated us all to run harder despite being day 22.
I chose to have the title track "Rock On" as the theme of this years green run, a truly rocking number! Plastics, Plastics and more Plastics on the highway! I know it seems repetitive but what can I say if that's all I see are plastic bottles and gutka packets choking this great country of ours? Really wish we as a nation decide to ban these items why is it that in other countries this type of littering is unacceptable?
Finished the run at the 1212 mark today the Maharasthra border is very close now which is afcourse the 5th and final state on this epic journey from Delhi to Mumbai.
I had a great web chat connecting with all of you at 3pm after I got back to the hotel really impressed by the amount of people tuning into my tweets, blog and onair programming. Met some indviduals on the road too who were following the run this is the sort of support without which completing this run would be impossible so continue supporting the entire green team and me @MilindRunning #GreenRun
Milind Soman:We marched towards Baroda today, It truly feels like a pilgrimage through miles & miles of gutka/chips packets and plastic bottles and plastic bags. Wonder how the future will cope with this if we dont do something now.
A blister on my sole gave me a scare today glad i caught it early and its feeling much better. Praying the team and I stray far from any injury being this close i would really hate not to complete this challenge.
The chai today on the go was very good, also had a good dose of cold coffee with extra coffee for that caffine kick we needed to strive toward the 1166 KM mark.
We are ahead of schedule as planning, do feel the need to slow down but when is the question . Everytime I think of slowing down my head says just keep going. Tommorow the Territorial Army jawans join us for the third time on this run , really looking forward to it although really not looking forward to the pollution ahead! Keep following me on @MilindRunning #GreenRun
Milind Soman:20 days...Just cannot fathom the mammoth challenge we have undertaken. The team and I are completely overwhelmed at the fact that we have now completed 1111 Kms in 20 days. Its something that has never been done before. The humidity and heat has gotten progressively worse consumed a lot of water and cold coffee today.
On the run i finally listened to some music on my iPod something I wasn't not doing so far because I did not want to get distracted, the main reason for this is now distractions are something of a concern one missed step and an injury could happen anytime anywhere which could prove fatal to the run.
This last stretch of the run is crucial as we have covered the majority of the distance now its all about keeping healthy and steadily finishing the run towards Mumbai. Getting plenty of tweets and messages about the run glad to see so many of my friends, family and viewers giving the team and me a lot of encouragement.
Every message pushes me further towards Mumbai. Tomorrow we head towards Baroda. Just under 400 more Km to go, The final milestone is so close I can almost feel it! Continue following me @MilindRunning #GreenRun
Milind Soman:Probably the hottest and most humid day of the run so far. We have now left the 1000 KM mark behind and completed 1057 KM from Qutab Minar in New Delhi. Runners from across Ahmedabad nearly 30 in total joined us for the green run/. It was highly motivating seeing so many runners run so passionately with us with humidity reaching the 55% mark.
We saw a lot of plastic pollution near the highway and factories polluting the air. Must definitely do something about all this plastic waste. The humidity really made its impact today all our t-shirts were drenched. In the evening I had an interview with Radio Mirchi where I gave some nice green tips for all our radio listeners in Gujarat. Also did an interview live on NDTV at 9:45 explaining how the run has progressed and how the team and I are doing especially with the heat rising. Going to go past the 1100 mark tomorrow hopefully as we make our way to Anand... Definitely time to drink some fresh milk. Keep following me and wish me luck @MilindRunning #GreenRun
Milind Soman:The 4th state in the 1500km journey from delhi to mumbai Gujarat was hit on day 17. Has to be taped up twice on my right ankle. The wear and tear of this run now showing clearly. Wanted to hit the 950 mark today and 1k tom so that we can start slowing down from tuesday.
Had sone tea on the go and also a lot of dryfruits oranges bananas and watermelon this has been our staple diet for the run through yhe past 17 days added with a lot of water and an occasional softdrink. Keeping yourself hydrated is key through such a run. Had lunch in the green bus on the move we hit ahemdabad tom should be interesting this was the route we covered last year so familiar territory. See you tom at the 1k mark.
Milind Soman:We hit Gujarat, the fourth state in the 1500km journey from Delhi to Mumbai, on Day 17. I had to be taped up twice on my right ankle. The wear and tear of this run now showing clearly. Wanted to hit the 950 km mark today and 1000 km mark tomorrow so that we can start slowing down from Tuesday.
I had some tea on the go and also lots of dry fruits ,oranges, bananas and watermelon. This has been our staple diet for the run through the past 17 days, also lots and lots of water and an occasional soft drink. Keeping yourself hydrated is key through such a run. Had lunch in the green bus on the move. We hit Ahmedabad tomorrow. The run now should be interesting as this was the route we covered last year, so its familiar territory. See you tomorrow as we touch the 1000 km mark.
Milind Soman:Started running down Baleecha and then Crossed TIDI village according to plan in the morning. The weather was tolerable in bits, a few clouds gave us respite from the cruel heat from time to time.
Today we were on a mission, we really wanted to get to the 900 Km Mark but having ended the yesterday at 830 I knew this would be a long day and after a good 15 days of running behind us all our stamina was in question.
I had to get taped up a bit in the morning on the highway. Luckily nothing major and on we went, no stopping for chai today the first time in 16 days, asked for chai on route so i could drink it and run, Did not stop at all today just kept running and yes very pleased to report that we did complete the 70 km goal and completed the 900 Km stretch right from the Qutab Minar in New Delhi. On we head towards Ahmedabad and so on for the last 600 will start slowing down a bit soon and let us gradually bring the intensity of the run down so that we don't burn out. See you and keep following me @MilindRunning #GreenRun
Milind Soman:5:00 AM we started moving on towards the 800 Km mark....We went straight through Balicha and Tidi on the route towards Himmatnagar and then Ahmedabad a good 150 kms away.
As the day progressed i could have sworn it was nearing almost 40 degrees, consumed a lot of Electral and Glucon-D mixed with water, started collecting the plastic bottles we were using to give to the Greenathon 4 plastic collection hubs.
After the run i got a chance to interact with some of the viewers, we started the web chat a bit early because of my impatience at 2:45 pm. Had quiet a few questions already waiting for me.
There was a great question about my toenail that had broken off during this run, something my twitter followers would be knowing, I actually now have two toenails missing. Not in any pain now though and I am doing fine and rest assured at 830 kms We are way ahead of schedule we might even be able to start slowing down the run a bit from as early as Tuesday if we keep this pace up. Off now until tomorrow. Keep following on @MilindRunning #GreenRun
Milind Soman:An exciting leg aiming to finish the half way mark today, at the start really felt tired and exhausted from all the running truly felt that I might not finish this run.
Met a gallantry award winning war veteran who saved some of his men from a Pakistani rocket attack in the 71 war. His story was truly inspirational and also at age 76 a fine runner. This and the fact that we were just inches away from the Half way mark gave me a second wind.
The Fateh Sagar lake also glistened beautifully as we ran past it. The heat now is taking its toll with the maximum in the daytime reaching around 38 degrees. We completed 757 kilometers and crossed the half way mark, was presented malas by the hotel on arrival and a tikka as well for all the runners. We all rejoiced at the fact that half this run is over and we are still on schedule.
Not far to go now looking forward to Himmatnagar and Ahmedabad in the days to come. Follow me @MilindRunning #GreenRun and Tweet me to keep going your wishes really do help. Also i will be doing a web chat at 3pm on Friday, Ill be there to answer all your questions. So log onto green.ndtv.com
Milind Soman:Began the run at 652 KM. Time to head to Udaipur which is exactly 50 Kms from Naghdwara. The roads were steep and curvy was a pleasure running downhill. Apurba smoked all of us and raced off during these slopes on the aravali range amazing to see some of us have this sort of energy left.
Today was an animal day we had a pack of stray dogs barking and chasing us playfully, we even witnessed a bull-fight in the middle of the highway, then came the majestic ridges and curves the landscape was simply spectacular how amazing it was to see a lot of greenary all round towards the entrance of Udaipur. We crossed the 700 KM mark as we got to Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur. We have completed a total of 709 Kms so far from qutab minar the half way point is coming closer and closer we just cant wait! Tommorow I get to meet a galantary award winner and will have a brand new green message for all of you. Please follow me and wish me luck @MilindRunning #Greenrun
Milind Soman:Began the run at 5 am from the Deogarh Mahal, we went on our way towards Naghdwara. It was a pleasent 22 degrees in the morning but at noon it hit 37 Degrees which made us consume a lot of water. The glucon D electral mix keeps our energy high and without these things we would surely faint somewhere on the road.
We were the centre of attention at the small towns with kids asking us "Aap kyun bhaag rahe ho?" We tried to get as many people as possible to tune in on the 20th of May for the 4th edition of the Greenathon. The road we travelled on was an absolute beauty, such wonderful landscape it's very hard for us to see how some of these majestic landscapes on the Aravallis are being destroyed by mining, some of it illegal apparently which we found out from one of the locals.
We stopped at a tiny dhaba for chai and biscuits the doctor checked our blood pressure, right now we are all doing fine healthwise in the run up to Gujarat where the temperature would rise as the days go by. We ended the run at 652 Kms Keep watching us on the Green Run and wish us luck via twitter @MilindRunning
Milind Soman:Started the day at 558 Kms just 1 Km ahead of our first big milestone of 557 kms set by last year's run, from here on out it's a new record every day that my team and I set out. Began the run precisely at 5 am, as scheduled, we proceed from the hotel to the highway it was a cool 22 degrees.
For Chai, no 'Dhaba' this time around; we spotted the big golden arches of McDonald's from a mile away and rushed towards it. Got in and Ronald Mcdonald was stunned to silence at our arrival, looks to me like he truly was impressed with the 1500 km target ;)
As soon as we polished off our cold coffees, we headed straight down running through the NH8 on our way to Deogarh.
We ended the run at crossing the 602 km mark, breaking the 600 Km barrier just under a thousand more to go, we have finished more than 1/3 our journey. Was then taken to Deogarh Mahal our rest stop for the evening and what a beauty she was an age old Royal Family owned property converted into a hotel. Met the Maharaja and Maharani of Deogarh in the evening while
I sipped on some refreshing lemonade; the conversation was the delight of the night as we spoke of conservation and even a couple interesting anecdotes, one which being my last trip to this same place years ago. Good night folks got to rise and shine early tomorrow so I can get back to my green run from Delhi to Mumbai.
Milind Soman:Started Bright and early in the morning ...well not exactly bright i did need my headlamp which has been of a lot of use this entire run during these early morning stretches before sunrise. On route from Ajmer towards Naghdwar and then onto Udaipur is the plan of action.
Saw a beautiful sunrise today on a clear day, it was simply majestic. Stopped at a dhaba for a cup of chai, these memories of sitting roadside having a true Indian roadtrip on foot will always be something i cherish whether Raju the waiter remembers to put sugar in my cup of tea or not.
Shot a green message near a truck at the dhaba for the loyal viewers of NDTV. Please guys do try and implement some of these and you could yourself contribute to the environment in your own way. We ran a true marathon today and successfully reached our milestone for the day completing 558 Kms from Qutab Minar today. This beats last years record which we did in 15 days we have been able to beat it by 5 days by completing the same distance and an added kilometer just for good measure! Thats it for tonight! Stay Green and keep tweeting me loving the wonderful messages.
Milind Soman:Started the day at 415 on route to Ajmer at a pleasant 24 degrees seeing so many trucks everywhere I now wonder if the govt can ask them to get on a clean fuel just imagine the pollution levels drop...breathing these fumes makes us all feel sick.
Saw a man on a pilgrimage rolling on his back on the scorching road, just goes to show that determination and will can lead us to do anything we want, just the sort of inspiration one needs to get to Mumbai.
Speaking of which we saw a few Mumbai Milestones trickling in even if they read 1000+ KM at least the final destination is in sight, I am sure as the days progress we will see more of these milestones coming which will just fuel us to finish the green run.
In the afternoon we went to Anna Sagar lake in Ajmer, a man made lake and one of the famous ladmarks of Ajmer very close to the Ajmer Dargah, It was shocking to see the pollution levels at the lake the water itself was a murky green colour with high alcaline levels which the students of MDS University tested for us as proved the high toxicity levels.
I tried to make an appeal to the people of Ajmer to help stop polluting this lake and restore thier pride and joy back to its original glory, just hoping this appeal doesn't fall on deaf years and really does create an impact and motivate the people and the next generation to take care of the lake so that thier children may once again be able swim and play in the lake as they did so many years ago.
In the evening we set out again for a run on the highway on route towards Naghdwara we had done 491 and our mission to end day 9 was set at 500 which we completed successfully just another 58 more to go to break last years run distance of 557 Km which we attempted for Greenathon 3.
Thats it for tonight time to get some sleep in so I can be up again at 4 Am to begin the next leg.
Milind Soman:Another day on the road, completed kms 450....!!!!! Today's run from Kishangarh to Ajmer was in bright and strong sun ....Each day, more and more people are getting interested in the green run...Today's 'run crashers' too wanted autographs....but I say, that's another way of signing green in the minds of people, right???
Excited about tomorrow's run but even more excited about what we're doing after. We go to the Anna sagar lake in Ajmer and test the waters literally!!!!! That's right, I will be meeting a group of young scientists who will test the water of the lake for pollutants. And based on our observation will will make a plea to the city administration to ensure that the lake is taken care of.
Time to sleep...got a long road ahead tomorrow!
Milind Soman:Exactly a week since we started out and man! what an experience it's turning out to be. Let's begin with the run in the morning, started out at about 4:30am...It rained in patches with a cool breeze blowing...our route- the jaipur- ajmer expressway!
1st let me start was saying that it was a fantastic road. waited for the day, all roads look like this in India...smooth as smooth can be. Our team ran 21 kms and took a Tea break....swear to you, it was a chai to remember.
2 unique experience on the highway, the 1st with 'Raju the Great'....a boy on a cycle who saw us running, he asked me what I was doing and why....So impressed was he that he cycled all the way to his village and cycled back with cooling chanch or salted lassi....truly 'Raju the Great' as he'd proclaimed to me earlier!
Heartwhelming moment no 2 came when I was joined on the run by a sweet boy, who ran behind me for a distance just to congratulate me and take an autograph for his family....felt good! And even better after completing 51 kilometres till lunch.
But the highlight of today has to be the Barefoot college, a self sufficient community in Tilonia village near Kishangarh. Digest This...The community produces enough solar power to light up the entire village! Has developed very unique antennae like solar cookers....And whats even more remarkable is the fact that these are all manned by "women'!!!!! that's right, the engineers of this change are actually women who have not even studied beyond when they were 10! These women has make solar powered lanterns which is used to light up other villages ....thus all in line with the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon- lighting a billion lives mission.
Water havesting is the other big feature of the community....they manage to save upto 5 lac litres of water every monsoon and are helping in raising then level of ground water in the vacinity.
It all culminated into a puppet show, puppets made out of recycled paper and other material....and I was gifted my very 1st puppet today!!!!!
Then came our final addition to the total tally...another 7 kms ....ending day 7 at 393 km and another 1100 odd to go!!!!!
Milind Soman:Day 6 of the run and the green team was happy to finally get some company on our run. Jawans from the Territorial Army joined us for 21 kms around the city of Jaipur. Looking at their fitness and their discipline, I am more and more convinced that a short service commission in the Army is a great option for every young Indian.
A small yet memorable photo op with the regiment at 6:00 and we were ready for the rest of the distance. The Jaipur sun finally showed its true colour- coming out nice and strong!
We did 2 important green things today...For starters, we learnt how to do organic blocked printing ...very local and very eco-friendly! So no harmful dyes or colours and thus no pollution! Next on our green agenda was learning how to make recycled paper....very interesting and reasonably easy I would say.
And now to my favourite part today...Bel ka sharbat...you're right, it was my 1st ever glass of that oh sooooo cooling drink....Got to know that it is not only great for hydration but is fantastic for the stomach too. I am still wondering why I haven't ever had it before...anyway, I do plan to make up by having it everyday till the 20th of May and after....That's it from me folks, till tomorrow...go green guys!
Milind Soman:The Gods were kinder on Day 5 of the NDTV Toyota Green Run with cloudy patches during parts of our run. I want to hail the spirit of my team member Sumedha who was very brave inspite of feeling unwell. She continues on our mission with full josh.
We covered over 60 kms to finish Day 5 at 281 km.
We met a lot of students and the activities were a lot of fun, played a game of snakes and ladders with an eco-friendly twist. NDTV's green reporter Disha won the game. Cheating I say!
Also the AIESEC volunteers from Jaipur put up a street play with an important message on water conservation.
Now gearing up for Day 6 !
Milind Soman:We have now completed 230km.
We are covering about 50 km every day.
Today while running,a few dogs accompanied me, I even asked them if they wanted to go to Mumbai with me, but after a while they got left behind. :(
Today we went to a forest maintained by villagers and helped them to keep it clean.
I was visiting a village after a long time so felt very happy.
I spoke to the sarpanch and the local people and tried to understand the concept of community maintained forests, oran ! After the activity we came back to our hotel and rested and decided to run a little more in the evening when its not too hot .. All well so far.. Looking forward to day 5 !
Milind Soman:Started the run this morning from my hotel in Neemrana towards Kotputli. Ran into an unexpected shower and witnessed an amazing rainbow. Was happy to see some international fans along the route who cheered me to keep going. Am excited and thrilled to cover the 150km mark.
We celebrated earth day along with the villagers of Kankar Chajjha and heard the inspiring stories of the villagers making use of biogas for cooking and electricity. In the evening, we had another run in the beautiful weather along with the village boys who joined us on the way. The day ended with a special barbeque dinner organised by the hotel along with the NDTV team.
Milind Soman:We have completed 103 km, another 1400 to go. It's still a long way to go but excited about it. We started from the Aravali resort in Manesar early in the morning and the weather was great. I aim to start at 4 am everyday but got a bit delayed today, started at 4:20 am. We stopped at a dhabha for tea, it's our great indian road trip experience.
I am feeling fine, but my calves are cramping. It's getting tougher by the day. Having a doctor and masseur on board helped. By the time we reached the Bal Bharti School we had Covered 103 kms from the start point, Qutub Minar. At the school I was greeted by many school kids who taught me how to make a bird's nest.
Very interesting, hope I can save some BulBuls that live outside my house in Mumbai now. I have also learnt how to make a bulbul nest for my own house. Planning to do that when I get back home.
The kids were cheering for all of us and that felt great. After the activity, we went to the hotel for lunch. I asked for my favourite dish Rajma Chawal but they didn't have it on the menu . Pity! So since I really wanted to eat Rajma Chawal we looked for another hotel.
Finally found one and decided to just crash there after lunch. rested for a bit and in the evening thought I would do another 10 kms before calling it a day. The team agreed and I was happy that everyone is so dedicated and commited to this cause. So the final count at the end of day 2 is 113 kms from Qutub Minar!
Now have had dinner and its time for some rest. Signing off for tonight, will see you guys tomorrow. Watch this space!
Milind Soman:Day 1: Completed 57km
Started the day with the launch of the green run from qutub minar. We were joined by the environment minister Ms Jayanthi Natarajan who flagged off the run. The territorial army jawans joined the run as well and they took us to the bhatti mines where we planted some saplings.
We encountered mild heat, 35 degrees, we are tired but have made good progress. We reached dharuhera and got caught in the middle of a sandstorm!
Good fun! gearing up for day 2 ...
Milind Soman:Delhi-Mumbai is a huge challenge for all six of us. Something like this has never been done before in India, and probably nowhere in the world in these kind of temperatures. I keep trying not to think about the distance and what we have to face, just take one step at a time, focus on running technique and moving ahead and we will eventually get there! There is actually no way to properly prepare for something like this, none of us really has the time, all perfectly ordinary people, Raj an interior designer, Mahesh a tour guide, Sajjan from a business family, Apurba with the railways, all just committed to achieving this feat of endurance.
This time the team also has a girl, Sumedha Mahajan, who has volunteered to run the entire distance, and we are extremely proud to have her with us to support the cause. The only preparation we have done is to get the body used to running every day, which is not something we do normally, for example I only run 3-4 times per week. We have been running approximately 10km per day for the last few days, which is still a far cry from the 65-75 km per day that we would like to run for the first ten days.
This is the 4th year of the NDTV Greenathon and apart from being a wonderful and caring initiative from NDTV, it has given me an opportunity to be of service to the community in my own small way, by doing something that I love - running. Of course the objective is to take the green message and spread it at the grass root level, while simultaneously attempting to show urban audiences what people across the country are doing in their own way for the health of the environment.
To engage people's attention even with a cause as worthy as this is not an east task and it is necessary to raise the bar of our own activity every time in order to continue to inspire more and more people to eventually take up the cause themselves in any way they can. The heat is an intimidating factor and is in our thoughts all the time. Everybody has been asking the same question, how will we deal with the 40+ degree temperatures that we will encounter all along the route untill we enter Maharashtra. We will try our best to keep body temperatures down by keeping our heads wet and of course drinking lots and lots and lots of water.
We will try to run early in the morning, but inevitably we will be constrained to run until midday to make up the distance. At the end of the day is all for a good cause. The message is simple and something that every person associated with the Greenathon keeps talking about - We don't need to wait for the govt or any other authority to take action to save the environment, if each one of us adopts even one eco friendly habit or practise into their lifestyle, the benefit to the world will be enormous. If we make one eco friendly choice at any time, with commitment, we have made a difference. That's all we ask. And Yes, this time, I am nervous!
Milind Soman and others set out on the incredible journey as the Green Run is flagged off from Qutub Minar.
Minister of State for environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan joins the Milind at the start of the Green Run.
Actor Rahul Bose is also with Milind as he is set to begin his mega-run.
School children and NGOs greet Milind and wish him for this historic run.
Milind Soman is accompanied by some non-professional runners.
Milind and his team are at Qutub Minar as the Green Run is ready to launch an unforgettable journey.
Watch this space for live updates through the Green Run.
Milind and his team of six will be highlighting environmental concerns and engaging in various green activities along the way, urging viewers to join in and do their bit in raising awareness.
The Green Run this year will be flagged off at 8:30 am from New Delhi on Friday, April 20. The route will weave through Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and finally, Maharasthra, ending in Mumbai.
After running from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, over 550 kilometers in 15 days for Greenathon 3, this year Milind is attempting a 1500 kilometer run from New Delhi to Mumbai in just 30 days.
