A New Town resident would hear catcalls from onlookers when he would practise running in 2014.
Nine years later, he is part of multiple running groups and people of the area where he practises ask about him if they don’t see him running one day.
In a way, Anand Singh’s journey mirrors the journey of running, as a sport, in Kolkata.
Singh, 51, will be at the starting block on Red Road for the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K, partnered by The Telegraph, on December 17. A consultant with an Indian IT services major, Singh has been taking part in the 25K category of eastern India’s premiere road race since its inception in 2014.
“Running was alien to Kolkata when TSK started. I would get catcalls from people when I ran alone near my home in 2014. Residents of a nearby village would look at me as if I was from another planet,” said Singh, who lives on the border of New Town.
“A lot has changed in the past decade. There are so many running clubs. Hordes of young runners are coming in. TSK has a lot to do with the growing popularity of running in Kolkata,” said Singh.
“In 2014, at the inaugural TSK run, there were hardly any civilians like me in the 25K category. It was mostly army and police personnel, apart from professional runners. But now, so many civilians take part in the 25K run,” he said.
Singh was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the age of 34. A doctor advised brisk walking. He took to running after moving to Scotland for a project. His first competitive run was a midnight 10km race in Helsinki, Finland, in August 2013. Since then, he has participated in road races in several European cities, including Barcelona and Berlin.
Ritika Sundaram Rohatgi, a 45-year-old Delhite also gearing up for the 25K segment, took to running around a decade ago. “I was going through some personal issues. Distance running teaches you all about your barriers and helps you in realising your inner strength. You come out stronger on the other side,” said Sudaram Rohatgi, who works for an ed-tech platform.
She has run marathons in Hyderabad, Mashobra (Himachal Pradesh) and Bangalore, apart from her hometown. She visited Kolkata more than 20 years ago. But this is the first time she will take part in a road run here.
“I don’t know the course. I don’t know what to expect. It is going to be interesting to figure out the unknown,” she told The Telegraph.
Sudaram Rohatgi is coming to TSK with her brother and sister-in-law, both her co-runners in the 25K category.
Shrinanda Barman Roy, 42, is relatively new to distance running. She started a couple of years ago and has taken part in runs in Ooty, Bangalore and Chennai, where she lives.
TSK 25K is going to be her first half-marathon.
When she was 22, Barman Roy met with an accident that left her with severe burns. The doctor had all but given up on her. “But I fought hard and I survived. I have had more than 10 reconstructive surgeries. There was a time I had to literally crawl to go from one room to another,” said Barman Roy, who works with an information technology services and consulting multinational.
“The day I was able to walk was like a second birth for me. Every time I run, I feel like a survivor,” she said.
She grew up in Howrah and Kalyani, where her father lives. She visits him frequently.
“My roots are here. Running in Kolkata is going to be special,” she said.
