SRINAGAR, APRIL 15: It wasn’t just about running or walking. It was about reclaiming lives.
A powerful wave of unity and determination swept through the heart of Srinagar as the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports J&K, under the direct and compassionate supervision of the department’s Director General Anuradha Gupta, organized a heartfelt Mega Unity March and a spirited Mini Marathon. The event was held in close collaboration with the District Administration Srinagar, as part of the ongoing Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyan.
The morning came alive at the historic Ghanta Ghar in Lal Chowk, where the flag-off ceremony was led by DYSSO Srinagar, Ghulam Hassan Lone, alongside the Chief Education Officer Srinagar Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Bhat. But the real heroes of the day were the young participants over 1,159 determined girls and 718 motivated boyswho poured into the streets with a single, loud message: we choose life over addiction.
Parents, teachers, and officials from the Youth Services and Sports Department walked shoulder to shoulder with the students, turning the rally into a true people’s movement. The march concluded at Sher-i-Kashmir Park, where the air was filled not just with exhaustion, but with pride. Winners of the mini marathon were honored with medals, but every participant left with something greater a renewed sense of purpose.
This initiative is a vital part of the “100 Days Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan” launched by the J&K Administration. Before the actual start of the marathon, every attendee took a solemn anti-drug pledge a promise to themselves, their families, and their society.
Speaking to the gathering, DYSSo Srinagar didn’t just deliver a speech; he shared a heartfelt appeal. He spoke of the urgent need to pull the younger generation away from the grip of substance abuse, and urged every student to become a torchbearer of change in their neighborhoods and schools.
The event wasn’t a one-day affair. It was a beginning. A loud, clear, and hopeful beginning of a drugfree Jammu & Kashmir built by its youth and led by its mentors.
