Kolkata: Marathon for Tribals is being organized by Kushal Educational Foundation, Purulia on February 25 at Ajodhya Hill. About a thousand runners have registered for the marathon till date and number of participants may increase as huge applications are coming from all corner of Jangal Mahal.
The marathon will be held in three categories five kilometers, ten kilometers and twenty one kilometers. In this marathon the prizes will be fifty one thousand, twenty one thousand and five thousand respectively for first, second and third position. All runners will be awarded completion medals and online certificates.
The marathon will be held on the legendary Ajodhya Hill where entertaining programs such as Zumba, Dhol, Nagara, Punjabi Dance, Chou Dance, Santal Dance, Live Painting etc. will be organized at every kilometer.
Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and artist Ranvijay Singha will flag off Purulia Marathon organized under the guidance and inspiration of Chairman of Kushal Educational Foundation, Naresh Agarwal will start at seven o’clock in the morning which will be flagged off by Chief Justice of Tripura High Court Aparesh Kumar Singh and famous Mumbai TV actor Ranvijay Singha and other dignitaries.
Marathon for Tribals is getting a lot of cooperation and support from various organizations and local clubs of Purulia. Cultural Programme will be held at Evening. Ashok Chaudhary of the organizing committee informed that a cultural program is being organized at Kushalpally resort on February 25 from 5 pm. In which the world famous dancer Padmashri Gulabo Sapera will perform Kalbelia dance. She is coming from Rajasthan along with fifteen artists from her troupe. For the first time such a grand event is being held in the Jungle Mahal area. Gulabo Sapera, the tribal dancer who established the identity of Kalbelia dance on the board, has performed in 165 countries. Purulia Chhau dance and Mundari and Santali dances will also be performed.
A blind tribal person will play the flute beautifully.Many ministers and dignitaries will be included as special guests. Kushal Agarwal, Trustee of Kushal Educational Foundation said that many important ministers of West Bengal government, administrative officers and prominent people from social sector will be present on this occasion. Many tribal Personalities will be awarded. Sandeep Murarka, a columnist and member of the organizing committee who writes on tribal issues, said that a golden page will be added to tribal history on the evening of February 25 at Kushalpally Resort in Ajodhya Hill.
On that day, many well-known tribal people who have received Padma Shri awards from the tribal community will be honored, including the Padma Shri, six dancers from Purulia, Gambhir Singh Muda and Chau mask maker Padmashri himself. Family members of Nepal Sutradhaar will be honored. Padmashri Guru Maa Kamali Soren of West Bengal, Padmashri Kalipada Saren, Padmashri Dhaniram Toto, Padmashri Dukhu Majhi, Padmashri Bikram Bahadur Jamatia of Tripura, Padmashri Gulabo Sapera of Rajasthan, famous Santal writer of Odisha Dr. Damayanti Besra, Jharkhand’s Lady Tarzan Padma Shri Jamuna Tudu, Ho language writer Padma Shri Janum Singh Soy, Environmentalist Padma Shri Chami Murmu, New Delhi’s famous biker girl Kanchan Ugursandi will be honoured.
All the honored guests will be presented with an effigy of Gambhir Singh Muda, the exponent of the world famous Purulia Chow dance, so that the world remembers the tribal ancestors who gave Purulia Chow international recognition. Naresh Kumar Aggarwal, CMD of Kushal Bharat Group explained the concept and said that the main objective behind organizing the marathon is to instill enthusiasm towards sports among the youth and identify the talent and train them for national and international sports competitions. Kushal Bharat Group has taken up the task of raising funds and resources for training.Thanking the participating sponsors of the event, Mr. Agarwal hoped that the runners who prove their talent in this marathon will be trained for the Asian and Olympic Games. Prashant Saha, the coordinator of Ayodhya Hill Marathon, said that people’s enthusiasm is at its peak for this marathon, which is being organized for the first time. Apart from the sports world, people from other fields are also eager to join it. The success of this event is due to the wide support of people from the fields of literature culture, art, cinema and entrepreneurship.
Ramshankar Singh Sardar, secretary of Ayodhya Pahar Tribal Upliftment Association, said that the various establishments of Kushal Bharat Group have well discharged their social responsibilities in the entire Jangal Mahal area including Purulia, thereby benefiting the people there.
Kushal Bharat Group has always been a pioneer in tribal welfare. Kushal Bharat Group has always been at the forefront of tribal welfare in the entire Jangal Mahal region including Purulia.Ten acres of land was provided for the construction of State Labor Hospital in Jhalda – 2 Block. One and a half acres of land in Jhalda Manor was given as a grant for the construction of fire station. An acre of land in Jhalda was also donated for the construction of the police station. Apart from this, distribution of clothes to the needy, distribution of blankets, installation of tubewells for supply of clean drinking water, all possible assistance during natural calamities and regular health check-up camps have been organized.
Kushal Palli is providing direct employment to around two hundred families of Ajodhya hill. Visitors to Kushal Palli are welcomed with garlands of leaves made by tribal women. Kushal Palli is the pioneer in encouraging local literature and culture. It is important to welcome the guests according to the local customs and boost the morale of the artists through local art and dance etc.Ajodhya has established its own unique identity on the tourism map of the country and the credit goes to Kushal Palli who first envisioned tourism on that mountain.
With the establishment of various industries and development of hotels and resorts in Purulia and adjoining areas since 1999 AD, the Kushal Bharat Group has always championed the local tribal community to bring light to their lives and improve their livelihoods in the course of development.
