SRINAGAR, Oct 1: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said more than 6,000 participants in the ‘Run for Unity’ had run not merely a marathon but for the “soul of India” and a peaceful, united and progressive Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the flag-in ceremony of the marathon organised by J&K Police at the Police Golf Course, Dal Lake, Srinagar, Sinha congratulated the participants and praised the enthusiasm of the youth.
“I am very pleased to see the wonderful energy of the youth. I would like to congratulate all the runners, participants and the Jammu and Kashmir Police from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
Sinha said the participants had conveyed a strong message through their participation, describing the event as a collective expression of their resolve for a peaceful and united Jammu and Kashmir.
“All the winners and participants have proved that they have taken part in the marathon for the soul of India and they have run for that Jammu and Kashmir which is peaceful, united and trying to move forward continuously,” he said.
He said the ‘Run for Unity’ is not merely about the pace of runners but about the pace of their collective resolve. “The Run for Unity is not just the pace of our feet; it is the pace of our resolve. When people walk together, there is no impossible destination,” Sinha said.
he Lieutenant Governor described unity as the country’s greatest strength and said India’s diversity was its identity and a source of strength.
“Always remember that unity is the greatest power. India’s diversity has never been our weakness, but it is India’s greatest identity and greatest strength,” he said.
He said India’s different languages, traditions, food and clothing were united by a common national spirit. “The languages are different, the traditions are different, the food and clothing are also different, but India beats in our hearts amidst all these differences,” he said.
Sinha said collective efforts could help overcome even the biggest challenges. “When millions of steps move in one direction, even the biggest obstacle becomes smaller. When millions of hearts come together for one purpose, no mountain is so high that it cannot be crossed,” he said.
Addressing the youth, he said their participation was an investment in the future and urged them to work towards making Jammu and Kashmir self-reliant and developed.
“You have not run only for yourselves; you have run for the new generation and for the youth who are working day and night to make Jammu and Kashmir self-reliant and developed,” he said.
Sinha said young people would encounter difficulties in pursuing their goals, but unity, faith and resolve could help them overcome challenges. “The roads are never easy on their own. Our unity makes them easy. Our faith makes us move forward, and our resolve takes us to the destination,” he said.
He highlighted the civic action programmes of J&K Police, saying they were empowering thousands of youth through constructive engagement. “The Jammu and Kashmir Police does the work of empowering thousands of youth in Jammu and Kashmir through its civic action programme. This is the human face of the Jammu and Kashmir Police,” he said.
Sinha said the police remained available to people during law-and-order situations, counter-terror operations, social assistance and natural disasters.
He called upon the youth to become “brand ambassadors” of the movement for unity and to shape their future through hard work, determination and patience. “I would like every youth of Jammu and Kashmir to become a brand ambassador of this movement,” Sinha said.
He also stressed the importance of physical and mental fitness and urged young people to participate in the Fit India Movement. “I would like the youth to become partners in the Fit India Movement,” he said.
Sinha urged people to strengthen brotherhood and dedicate themselves to peace, harmony and unity. “You have to strengthen the brotherhood among the people. You have to dedicate yourself to peace, harmony and unity,” he said.
He said the real victory in a marathon was not merely reaching the finish line but helping others move forward. “The real victory in any marathon is not in reaching the finish line. The real victory is when we all help each other and move forward,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor said people might come from different paths and have different identities, but their destination and national identity remained common.
“We may have come from different paths, but our destination is one. We may have many identities, but our national identity is one,” he said.
Sinha said Jammu and Kashmir and India were “one and unbreakable” and called for collective efforts towards development. “Our India, our Jammu and Kashmir is one and unbreakable. We will all move forward together with the resolve of Jammu and Kashmir and India,” he said.
He urged people, particularly the youth, to face challenges with courage and work collectively to write a new chapter for Jammu and Kashmir and India. Sinha also thanked J&K Police and other officials involved in organising the event, noting that participation had increased every year
