Kanyathon 2020

A students organised run for the rights of girls

By Veloscope

March 17^th, 2020

The students of IFIM Group of Institutions have been organising the Kanyathon annually, in association with CRY (Child Rights and You). This charity fundraiser run aims to provide a platform for the runners and not-yet runners of the community to come together and enjoy a day of running and mingling with the community. While they are doing this, they are told about the various challenges girls and young women experience in different parts of the country and what is being done to ensure their health (immunisation drives, nutrition etc. that they are not given owing to their gender, inside their homes and communities - CRY pitches in to help in these), education and well-being. The students also get a chance to talk about the efforts to develop villages in Kolar.

Community focus

The race has significant elements of doing something valuable for everyone in the neighbourhood and community. There are art events for children, photo opportunities and a place for everyone to contribute to the community and feel positively powered by each other.

Organising is student business

That the event take place flawlessly is a point of pride for the students of IFIM and with that aim, they carefully put together an events committee with folks who have legacy of having conducted this event and add in people interested in taking the baton on and passing it on to others the coming year.

Every detail, from police involvement and road closures to runner comfort, setting up the home base where the various charities and fundraising activities can take place - is charted out meticulously.

The race

The event consists of a 10k run, which is a timed race and a 5k run for the people who want to take it casual or are at their initial stages of running. There is a corporate race as well, with folks from all the companies in the neighbourhood taking part.

Children's run

This is a run that supports CRY, so it goes without saying that children are encouraged to run along with their parents. There is recognition of the fact that if children learn these behaviours of being outdoors, being fit, working had, keeping going when tired and being resilient, they are likely to pick it up and apply them as adults.

From 600 to 7000 runners.

What does it take to put together a race with a participation that's grown from 600 to 7000 runners? It takes love for the event, it takes the single-minded tenacity of the young, it takes a believing heart and it takes the muscle of the educational institute behind the students. In this situation, they all have clearly come together, to create this wonderful race.

A marathon in itself creates great social awareness for the community, but an event such as Kanyathon with cause as impactful as this is a great endeavour from the team. We wish to see the event grow multiple fold in the future and carry on the great work.