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RN Ravi along with the team and dignitaries during the reception ceremony at Kohima War Cemetery, on November 6.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 6 (EMN): After having crossed eight states in a span of 45 days, team ‘AIR Warriors’ culminated the “Kargil to Kohima (K2K) Glory Run” here at Kohima War Cemetery, on November 6. Governor of Nagaland RN Ravi flagged in a team of 25 ‘AIR Warriors’, including a female officer.
Initiated by the Indian Air Force (IAF), the mega marathon started as part of the ongoing celebrations to commemorate the completion of 20 glorious years of victory during the Kargil war. The team led by Suresh Razdan began its epic run from Kargil War Memorial at Drass in Jammu and Kashmir on September 21.
Besides paying homage to the soldiers who had laid down their lives during the Kargil War of 1999, as well as the Battle of Kohima in 1944, the team covered a distance of more than 4500 km to promote awareness for pedestrian safety, Swaachh Bharat and Swasth Bharat.
The team ran through the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam before finally reaching Nagaland.
The governor, in his speech, said that nothing could be more befitting than creating another history by these warriors, “who took this journey from the land of Him (Himalayan) warrior to Naga warriors; warriors of the snow to the warriors of Naga Hills”.
He felt that the team had brought glory at different levels - glory to the team who, he said, had achieved and created history; glory to the air force through this record, which will go down as one of the milestones in history; glory to the country and at some level, by the fact that the team had stretched the limit of human endurance and human capacity to set a new target, which itself is a glory for humanity.
The team, he said is an inspiration to the youth of the country. He believed that they had inspired the people, particularly the youth to join the air force, as they passed through their route. Their journey, he said, has created material which can be used by different ministries and institutions and added that the expedition must be adequately documented.
Ravi said their journey would serve as “very valuable material” for ministries like Youth and Sports, Ministry of Culture and department of Human Resource. The experience of having passed through various river valleys, places, cultures, etc, would be valuable material and inspiration. "If adequately documented and presented, it is an invaluable learning and teaching material," he said.
“Invariably, there is a great degree of illiteracy in this country about Nagaland, and about people of Nagaland,” Ravi said. He felt that the countrymen must know the culmination of this glory run to Kohima, a land of very rich civilisation.
The document, he said “must honestly and adequately reflect the glory” of the people where the journey has culminated. He also suggested that an achievement description of each of the AIR Warriors be maintained to inspire boys and girls of their respective region.
He said: “A Naga village which has met its economic, social, political, and defence needs and have sustained and survived for hundreds of years; it is one of the richest ancient living civilisations in the world and this fact has to be brought out to the country.”
The governor blamed the British period for creating “a very pervert narrative about Nagas and Naga society which is very uncharitable.” He was referring to those days when Nagas followed the culture of head-hunting, adding to which he said, “It was a war trophy.” He went on to say that the head was taken as a token of victory in war and the warriors all over the world have invariably done it.
Team leader Suresh Razdan told reporters about the challenges faced along the expedition. He said that they had set out in cold climatic temperatures, which were about minus six to minus eight; faced heat, humidity, and traffic.“The first 4-5 days were tough, but after we crossed those days, everyone was toughened enough to run to an entire distance,” Razdan said.
"Yet, the most challenging of them all was in the hills from Leh where the team encountered three passes - 17500ft (highest) and 13,500 (lowest). Above 10000 m altitude, walking, breathing, and standing becomes a big challenge, and running was altogether a different ball game," he said.
The team found Kaziranga National Park in Assam to be the most memorable, where they could find “content” from the fresh air.
The team was received by Air Marshal RD Mathur AVSM, VSM, AOC-in-C Eastern AIR Command.