Seer Utsav Begins in Bilaspur With Gender Equality Marathon, 700 Participate

The district-level, two-day Seer Utsav began in Ghumarwin, Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. The festival opened with a marathon organised on the theme ‘Run for Gender Equality’. Himachal Pradesh Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani attended the event as the chief guest.

The marathon was held from the Seerkhad bridge in Ghumarwin to Bari Majherwan. More than 1200 people from Ghumarwin town and the surrounding panchayats reached the venue with enthusiasm. The participants included children, young people, women and elderly residents.

Around 700 participants took part in the marathon across different age categories. Through the event, the organisers conveyed messages of gender equality, a healthy lifestyle, fitness, a clean environment and water conservation.

Participants in the different age groups took part in the race with enthusiasm and sporting spirit. A three-kilometre race was fixed for the under-14 category and for participants above 60 years of age. Participants in the other age groups competed in a six-kilometre race.

Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani also participated in the marathon as a contestant in the category for people above 50 years of age. He completed the race and encouraged the other participants.

Rajesh Dharmani said that regular physical activity is necessary to make fitness a part of one’s lifestyle. He said that people can take a step towards a healthy life by setting aside some time every day for running, walking, yoga or light exercise.

At the conclusion of the marathon, the Technical Education Minister presented medals and certificates to the winners in the different age categories. He also said that the Seer Utsav is not only an event connected with faith and tradition. Through the festival, important messages related to gender equality, a healthy lifestyle, environmental protection and water conservation are also being conveyed to society.

The minister urged people to play an active role in keeping Seerkhad clean and beautiful and in protecting water sources. The marathon was organised as the opening event of the district-level Seer Utsav.

In the under-14 girls’ category, Tamanna stood first, Navya second and Mamta third. In the under-19 girls’ category, Haridima Thakur secured first place, Sudiksha Singh stood second and Neha finished third.

In the under-19 boys’ category, Anmol Kumar was first, Rehan second and Rahul third. In the women’s category for those above 20 years of age, Anshul stood first, Payal Rani second and Vanshika third.

In the men’s category for the same age group, Ankit stood first, Ankit second and Manoj third. The two first and second-place names were recorded as Ankit in the event results.

In the men’s category for those above 40 years of age, Madan Singh secured first place, Naresh stood second and Sunil Kumar finished third. In the women’s category for those above 40 years of age, Snehlata was first, Raksha second and Saroj third.

In the category for those above 50 years of age, Gopal stood first and Jagdish Chandra second. Rajkumar and Ramesh Chandra were jointly placed third.

Pushpa was declared the winner in the category for those above 60 years of age. The event marked the beginning of the Seer Utsav with a focus on gender equality, while also bringing together participants from different age groups for messages linked to fitness, environmental protection and water conservation.