Eastern India’s biggest road race, which made a comeback last December after two Covid-scarred years, is back to making a difference to the lives of many.
The seventh edition of the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K, partnered by The Telegraph, raised over Rs 19 lakh for charity, the organisers said on Thursday.
A total of 22 NGOs working in various fields, 11 corporate donor-partners and a clutch of individual fundraisers were the driving force behind raising the money. As many as 350 corporate runners came together to raise funds for the NGOs.
“The event brought hope for new beginnings, especially after the world survived a global pandemic. The sheer enthusiasm of the participants was extremely inspiring. It is an empowering feeling to see like-minded people coming together for the greater good,” said Dinesh Agarwal, president of the Society for United Way of Kolkata, the philanthropy partner for the run.
On December 18 last year, over 15,000 people participated in the seventh edition of The Tata Steel Kolkata 25K, the only World Athletics Elite Label road race in the 25km category, which had last happened in 2019.
The money will go to a bouquet of NGOs working in various sectors, from the education of marginalised children to championing the rights of the differently able.
The Tata Medical Center Trust, which raised Rs 7,00,000, was the highest fundraising NGO, followed by Concern India Foundation, which raised Rs 5,00,000, said the organisers.
“Cause-neutrality, transparency and accountability are the pillars of this initiative,” said Gaver Chatterjee, who looks after the Kolkata operations of Concern India Foundation, which runs a vocational training centre for children in Behala.
Subrata Barman, 32, raised a little over Rs 76,500, the highest individual fundraiser. The money he raised would go to the Trilochanpur Association for Development in Social Welfare, an NGO that runs a free tutorial centre in Debra, Paschim Medinipur.
“This is a big opportunity. I am glad I could make use of it,” he said at the auditorium of a city hotel, where the donors were felicitated on Thursday.
“The seventh edition of TSK 25K helped raise Rs 19.37 lakh for charity. Signature events such as our marathons and other sporting activities are infused with our deep-rooted corporate philosophy, one that embraces the spirit of encouragement and adopts initiatives aimed at patronising sporting pursuits in society,” said Chanakya Chaudhary, vice-president, corporate services, Tata Steel.