Back in 2013 – 14, I used to work at Wipro Electronic City Office, Bangalore.
One fine afternoon, I got a call from Ravi R Gupta that there was an inauguration ceremony for Spirit of Wipro Run. That time I had absolutely no clue about running. I tried to give all kinds of excuses, but he insisted that I should take part in the event and run 100 meters.
10 min later I was at the venue which was inside Wipro Electronic City campus. Up until that time, the Spirit of Wipro Run used to be conducted at Sarjapur Road and that year it was getting shifted to Electronic City. So a Torch (Mashal) was getting passed on to commemorate this moment.
A huge crowd had gathered for the occasion and the atmosphere looked vibrant. I took the position at the starting line for running. But I had zero confidence in my ability to run that distance. After a few minutes, the run started. Everyone started sprinting and I started gasping and panting. I was probably the last one to cross the finish line.
A month later, the Spirit of Wipro run was supposed to be conducted. There were two running categories, 5 KM and 10 KM. I hesitantly registered for 5 KM as 10 KM looked unimaginable.
On the day of the event, those 5 KM took me ages as I ran like a tortoise and stopped at every refreshment counter to eat available food and drink water. But at the end of the race I was happy to collect a finisher medal and enjoy a delicious breakfast. That was my very first run at any official event. I was on cloud nine.
Recently concluded Wipro Bangalore Marathon on 8th Oct 2023 gave me a very special experience unlike any other marathons.
While running this marathon, I met Gurcharan Singh who was one of the key people who initiated the Spirit of Wipro Run in the organization back in 2006. I saw his posters during my Spirit of Wipro runs back in 2013-14. I conveyed my sincere regards to him for bringing this run into existence which changed my life. This was the very first time I was meeting him in person.
Then towards the finish line, Ravi found me among thousands of runners while running. It was a really pleasant surprise.
It was an emotional moment to participate in the Spirit of Wipro run again after 9-10 years. To meet the people from whom I took inspiration and started running made it even more special.
Little did I know that a small beginning in 2013-14 would change my life forever. In the last 10 years, running has become a passion for life. Till date I have run 7 full marathons and 68 half marathons. I also wrote a book named “Anybody Can Run” on my running journey which is an Amazon Bestseller.
But it all started with that 5 KM Spirit of Wipro run back in 2013-14. I will forever be grateful to the amazing organization Wipro.
