60 Year Old Mr. Ajwani has set a new record by being the first senior citizen to run from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 70 days
If you want to keep your mind healthy as you age, research indicates exercising is one of the best things you can do. Running is one of them. When running happens in sprints, you set up your health. When running happens for marathons, one sets up their fame. When running happens for Olympiads, one designs his destiny, but when running happens from the place of sheer bliss, one breaks all the barriers and the shackles of limiting self belief. Kumar Ajwani, who has crossed his 60's and has redefined the senior citizenship by covering the distance between Kashmir to Kanyakumari not by just walking, but by running throughout. This eye-catching event took place in the duration of 70 days for which Mr. Ajwani kept a meticulous record. World Book of Records, London is equally proud and doubly astonished to witness the commendable journey and enthusiasm of Mr. Ajwani to not just set a record, but to set an example in front of the world and thus includes him in its India edition-2022. India is a multi-cultural hub, where all the cultures and religion live amicably under the umbrella of unity. North-East-West-South are equally vibrant with bubbling cultures which have always made India a head-turner country. Kashmir to Kanyakumari is the well known route connecting the North to the South of India. This route passes through several states. Although there have been many others records of crossing it through running, cycling, swimming or through car, but none has been attempted by a 60+ year old person. This itself tells the outstanding commitment and vision which Mr. Ajwani carries within him. The sojourn of crossing this journey commenced on 19th Nov, 2021 from Jammu and took approx 70 days to cover 4246 Kms on foot by running. Mr. Ajwani grew up in Mumbai and kept up his spirits high just like the city. His football habit was his wake up call for him to be on his feet for many hours. “There wasn’t much to do during those days, no television or cellphones. So there was a lot of time to play, especially since I grew up in Bandra. Somewhere along the way, education, career and family took over as priority,” Ajwani says. A collegue gifted him 21 kms bib to run the Mumbai Marathon for which he began practicing in gym. His first marathon took him 3 hours to finish the race. But his transition from treadmill to real field was an eye opener. He relished running on feet on real grounds and since then Mr. Ajwani never looked back and kept taming the odds in life and defying his age. “I figured how different the two were, even though it was just eight additional kilometres. I threw up by the side of the course time and again. That transition dissolved my ego,” Ajwani says. Hailing from a humble background where mother was the only breadwinner, Mr. Ajwani has witnessed roughest patches of his life which strengthened his resilience in unimagined ways. He is a financial consultant and has reached pinnacles in his career after growing up, but since he never forgot his roots, he always had this urge to do his bit for the society. “As Indians, we talk a lot about spirituality, but when it comes to giving, we do nothing. We hold on to everything, whereas each one of us should be looking to contribute in any way that we can,” Ajwani says. On a flight in 2018, he bumped into Subhash Palekar, a proponent of natural farming. That conversation gave Ajwani’s running a new direction. “He said - why don’t you do something for the farmers through your run? It was the perfect opportunity for me to test waters,” he says. That December, Ajwani ran 900k m across Maharashtra as part of a fundraising campaign. He raised enough money to donate 32 Gir cows to small scale farmers, who wanted to practice Palekar’s method of farming. The experience was fulfilling. He now wanted to do more. The following year, he took on a 1,400 km run from Mumbai to Delhi in 27 days, this time raising Rs 20 lakh for the Pune-based Queen Mary’s Technical Institute (QMTI) that works towards the welfare of disabled soldiers. “It became a thing to be running on every New Year’s Day,” he says, smiling. When Covid struck in 2020, Ajwani and his friends raised funds to help migrant workers across the country. Last year, they registered Team Fab Foundation as a charity to continue their work. Besides donating to individuals in need, they’ve also set up a hospital and a school in hamlets near Nashik. His social service quotient is getting higher and now he has an organisation which is working for tribal education cause and this gives him utter satisfaction. By being the first 60+ Indian, Mr. Ajwani has not just reset the perspectives of health at such age, but has also rekindled the social awareness by putting constant efforts for societal welfare. World Book of Records wishes him all the best.
