Aritra Banerjee
Aritra Banerjee, a defence journalist and Powaiite ran, a timed 10 Km distance run, a 50 Km Ultramarathon, and the Melbourne Half Marathon (21 Km) in three consecutive weeks to commemorate key events in India’s Military history as part of the veteran led Mission Victory India’s #RunningForTheFauj campaign.
Speaking about this feat of endurance and the rationale behind it the young reporter said, “The runs at least initially were just a way for me to get off my chair, stretch my legs and get some fresh air, before it eventually became a part of the #RunningForTheFauj campaign initiated by a group of Pune based ’71 War veterans, to commemorate 10 years of the ex-servicemen led Victory India Campaign, and as a soldierly tribute to the veterans and those who gave up their life in the line of duty during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, as part of the ongoing Golden Jubilee Celebrations (marking 50 years) since the conflict which reshaped the subcontinent.”
When asked about the veteran-led campaign, he responded saying, “The Victory India campaign goes back a decade and is not my story, it is the story of one man, Colonel Vinay Dalvi who has been vehemently pushing for military training and leadership reforms for over three decades now, a cause for which he has penned down seven volumes worth of military literature.”
“It [the campaign] traces its roots as a campaign which sparked off after the release of Dalvi sir’s first book ‘Role Model’ in 2010 and the subsequent articles and debates initiated by him. The campaign in its present form is an online think tank and military opinion portal where professional opinions are shared, with the aim to bridge a perceived communication and knowledge gap between the military, the media, the bureaucracy and academia; serve as a resource for young officers to intellectually benefit from the experience and insights of senior veterans, academics, authors, among others,” explained Aritra.
When asked about why he chose those distances and what their significance were, he replied saying, “Well the first event was the Tata Steel 10 Km and was the only distance event I had planned for. Our online publication in its present form had just completed six months and the year also marked 10 years of the Victory India Campaign; my aim was simply to pay homage to our campaign by running the distance signifying a decade.”
21 Km Route
He went on to say, “The second event was a 50 Km event organised by the Tata Ultramarathon team…How I got about running this event was purely coincidental. I had been intending to run an Ultrathon for a while now and was looking for events to apply for in 2021, it was based on this intent that my father, a senior corporate professional in Tata Steel, told me that his team is organising an Ultra-Running event.
“We were casually discussing when I inquired about the date and distance, and in the mother of all coincidences both the date and distance coincided with the golden jubilee celebrations of the 1971 Indo-Pak War, a conflict in which Colonel Dalvi and most of our notable members found themselves launched upon passing out from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun, as young officers.
“Given the significance of the conflict to the nation’s military history and the lives of our pioneering members, it was my own way to pay tribute to the armed forces decisive victory 50 years ago, and to the famed ‘Born to Battle Course’ which gallantly fought in it, when they were around my age!”
Speaking about the event he ran the following week, he said, “The third event I took part in was a half marathon (21 Km) a week following the 50 km ultra-run, once again the distance unintentionally coincided with something of historic significance. The Sikh Regiment, which is the Indian Army’s most decorated regiment, is due to celebrate its 175th anniversary, an account of which was very passionately penned down by Lieutenant General RS Sujlana (Retd), a highly distinguished General and a former Colonel of the Regiment.
“An article submission of his, ‘The Saragarhi Sikhs of Siramani’ made a passing reference to the 21 Sikh soldiers who fought to the last man and the last round against over 10,000 Afghani raiders at the famous ‘Battle of Saragarhi’ dubbed one of the greatest last stands in military history. Being a bit of a military history aficionado, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to the paltan, and an interesting challenge for the weekend.
“I have a special connection with the Sikh Regiment, some of my earliest interactions as a reporter were with soldiers from this regiment, all of whom were incredibly professional, patient and polite,” added the Powaiite.
“The sheer grit of the 21 Saragarhi Sikhs in face of insurmountable odds forms the DNA of the Indian Army’s Sikh Regiment. The 21 Km distance of the Melbourne Half Marathon was a fitting tribute to the memory of the Sikh warriors and the regiment,” Banerjee added.
“It is important to highlight I did not intend to run these distances based on historical significance alone, that ended up being a fortunate coincidence; it is also pertinent to highlight that my father despite being a 54-year-old senior corporate professional, ran all three events with me late at night, making excellent time…before heading back to wrap up his work,” stressed the young reporter.
Finishing strong with ‘battle buddy’
When asked whether he felt the endeavour was a wise decision and well thought out, he replied saying, “Absolutely not…it was all very foolhardy and most certainly not healthy, however it was fun nonetheless and makes for a good story to look back on! I would do it again…and most certainly will,” said Aritra. He concluded, “Plenty more miles to go! One step at a time!”
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