400 run 14-km marathon with message to shun drugs in Kapurthala

It was like a historic day for Dabulian village when at least 400 participants ran the race to spread the message of shunning drugs. Starting from a six-year-old to the elderly, people came out in large numbers to take part in the marathon that was held for the first time at Dabulian in Kapurthala.

The marathon started early in the morning with the “Tandrust Dabulia” mission. Those who completed 14 kilometres, ran from the stadium in Dabulia village to the Kapurthala octroi post. They were given Rs 1,100 award. To encourage those who took part, lucky draws were also held in which pairs of shoes were given to those who won.

Arjuna awardee Sajjan Singh Cheema, under whose guidance the marathon was held, said he had not imagined such a good response. “I was thrilled to see a six-year-old completing in the 14 km race. He was unstoppable. This has given a hope that drugs will disappear if youngsters adopt such activities in their lives,” a proud Cheema said.

The motive of the marathon was to create a healthy village and ultimately a healthy Punjab. Villagers were also seen holding placards like “Sada Supna Sehatmand Dabulian”, “Sada Khwab Nasha Rahit Dabulian” delivering a message to shun drugs.

Dabulian has made great contribution in sports as five from the village are sportspersons of national and international fame. All sportspersons from the village, who have excelled in various events and those who are at the learning stage, also took a lead as they guided others to be a part of this marathon.

Cheema started this initiative from the village and he slowly wishes to expand it across Punjab. Earlier, he had shared, “After village Dabulian, we will take it to other villages as well. There are 23 blocks in Sultanpur Lodhi and one village will be selected in each block for holding marathon.”