The 16th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2019 kicks off on Sunday, January 20, 2019 and over 46,000 runners are said to participate in the race. The route have changed a bit, in comparison to earlier races. This time there are different routes for elite and open category runners, although at some stretches the overlap is inevitable. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is the start and finish point for elite runners who will take a full lap of the Oval Maidan on the race's outward stretch. Casual runners will all finish at a different spot on the opposite side of the Azad Maidan in South Mumbai.
This year, a group of tribal women from the Mahila Gruha Udyog (MGU)—a project by Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care (SRLC)'s Women Empowerment Programme to empower rural women with a sustainable living—will be participating by walking in the marathon. These women have imbibed strong values of self-reliance and independence, and will walk the race to popularise their notion of self-sustainability.
Madhuben Mangubhai Chaudhari who makes khakhras and rolls incense at the MGU, in the village Karanjveri in Gujarat says, “I have been a part of the MGU since the past seven years. Before that my husband was the only bread earner in the family, so it was really difficult for us to raise three children and take care of our parents. I now have the income and we can think of giving our children good education as well. I have come for the first time to Mumbai and will be walking along my other co-workers from MGU to spread awareness of what we do." Fourty five-year-old Ranjanben Jayantibhai Mahla, who hails from Navsari in Gujarat has been travelling everyday for around 20 kms to reach work where she's been doing the production, packaging, quality checking and tasting of foodstuff since the past seven years. "I am my family’s only earning member. I am sure it will be fun to simply walk with the other women in this big city, which I'm seeing for the first time in my life."
As the philanthropy partner of Tata Mumbai Marathon, Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care (SRLC) enters its 9th year at the Mumbai Marathon. Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care has raised Rs 16 crore for various charitable initiatives through this platform since 2011. Its participation at the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2019 is to support the construction of a 250-bed multispecialty charity hospital, involving a dedicated team of 1,300 supporters including corporates, fundraisers and volunteers who will walk under the banner. The new hospital will make a difference to millions in the tribal areas of southern Gujarat, through superior quality medical care at subsidised rates or absolutely free-of-charge.
