Bhopal: To drive home the message of physical fitness, AK Tiwari aka Ashok Hindustani, a retired army commando, ran from Bhopal to Raisen and back - a distance of 100 km - on the eve of the Independence Day on Friday.
His 100-km run was a part of his five-day Tiranga Run spreading message that being physically fit is the best way to beat the corona virus,. For the past four days, he covers a distance of 40 km every day on highways leading to Vidisha, Raisen and Mandideep from the city. He used to begin his run at 5 am and ended at 9.30 am. Thus, he covered a total distance of 260 km in five days.
On Friday, he began at 3 am from the Piplani Petrol Pump and was back by 2.15 pm, talking a little more than eleven hours to cover the distance. Holding the national flag in his hands, he took short breaks on the way to sip energy drinks. Some of his friends accompanied him on two-wheelers. “The weather was very humid and I was sweating heavily, I was feeling very hot. On the way, at many points, I had to ask my friends to pour water on me,” he told Free Press.
Tiwari, who is a marathon runner, has joined the BHEL as an artisan after his retirement from the army. For the past 14 years, he has been cycling for 100 km with the message of clean and green India on Independence Day. “This is my 15th year and I am not going to break the tradition,” he said.
Tiwari said that the country is reeling under the corona pandemic and everyone is scared of catching the virus. However, as there is no medicine and no vaccine for the disease, the best way to keep COVID-19 at bay is to keep your immunity level high. “A fit person is naturally immune to diseases. The message I want to send is, 'Hit Rahein, Fit Rahein',” he said.
