Gorkha youth icon Roshni 3rd in Tenzing Hillary Everest Half Marathon

6:50 PM

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sports news

The Indian youth icon Roshni Rai also the founder of Run With Roshni came third/3rd in Tenzing Hillary Everest Half Marathon, the world's highest marathon.The Everest Marathon was started in 1985 by Jan Turner and Tony Hunt on a trek to and from Everest Base Camp.The even was organised by the Himalaya Expeditions, HimEX in short, which is an Adventure Travel and Expedition Company based in Nepal and founded by Nepalese Tourism Professionals.

Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon is an International High Altitude Adventure Sports Event held at Mt. Everest Base Camp every year on May 29 since 2003 to commemorate the historical ascent of Mount Everest by Late Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953. The trail crisscrosses the Sherpa heartlands of Khumbu Valley between the Everest Base Camp and Namche Bazaar.

Roshni Rai Receiving certificate from Indian Army Colonel, who lead the Indian Army Expedition to Everest 2016.

Roshni on her FB wall wrote the following
Universe loves me.I came 3rd in Tenzing Hillary Everest (THEM) Half Marathon & I won the cash prize of Rs.25000/- (NC).
Reached Everest Base Camp on 27th May & I got the high altitude sickness.I started suffering from lose motion & vomiting. Came down to low altitude in Dinboche yesterday by walking 21km. Today in the morning, I joined Half Marathon from Dinboche.It was tough but Bikram Pandey Kaji NuwaKott Sir has asked Deepak Rai, who is a three times winner of THEM to pace me today. It was with the support of Deepak Rai only, I managed to come third. My finish time for half marathon is 4hrs 2mins.
Now I understood God's plan to make me high altitude sick in Everest Base Camp :)
Thanks to Meenu Shrestha for all the beautiful pics. 
Will be updating more abt EBC trekking soon.

The top three runners in the half marathon have reached the finishing point. The timings of the top three runners are:
1st: Tenzing Dolmans (3:30:13 hrs)
2nd: Dominique Hopkins (3:32:18 hrs)
3rd: Roshani Rai (4:02:08 hrs)

Simarlarly The winners of Full Marathon Open Foreigners:
1. Mr. Robert Celinski from Poland - 4 hrs 24 mins 08 seconds
2. Mr. Fabrice Kah from France - 5 hrs 15 mins 04 seconds
3. Mr. Joseph Wynes from USA - 5 hrs 41 mins 12 seconds

This is indeed a great achievement by our own Roshni Rai and we on be half of the Indian Gorkha Community would like to congratulate her for her achievement. You made us proud again.

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Roshni Rai to ‪‎Ignite‬ Everest Marathon

3:01 PM

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sports news

Writes: Rajeev Ravidas

"Pedong Express" Roshni Rai has been chosen as one of the ambassadors of the Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon - an annual event organised by the Nepal-based Himalaya Expeditions - on the foothills of Mount Everest.

Roshni Rai, 35, who hails from Pedong, is presently based in Bombay and is a corporate lawyer by profession.

Roshni wrote a mail to The Telegraph saying she felt honoured and excited and is looking forward to be a part of the event.

"Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon is probably the most adventurous run in the world. A briefing session on marathon and trekking will be held in Kathmandu on May 17. More than 130 international runners have registered for the marathon" said Roshni.

Roshni will leave for Kathmandu on May 15.

"I first ran a half-marathon at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in 2007. I was badly injured in the knee because of lack of proper training. The following year, I started marathon training under the guidance of my coach Daniel Vaz. Since then I have run for more than 40 races," said Roshni.
"The marathons include 10km races, half-marathons, marathons and ultra marathons (ranging from 50km to 100km). I have also run in four international races-two in the UK, one in Czech Republic and one in South Africa," Roshni added.

Roshni Rai to ‪‎Ignite‬ Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon

Roshni runs an NGO "Run with Roshni Foundation" in Mumbai that promotes athletes from the Darjeeling hills.

"My foundation supports underprivileged Gorkha runners from the Darjeeling hills to run marathons. We have been doing this since 2012," she said.

On May Day this year, Roshni's foundation had organised the Kalimpong half-marathon.
On the Everest Marathon, Roshni said: "It is an annual marathon organised to pay tribute to Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary who were the first to reach the top of the world's highest mountain Mount Everest on May 29, 1953".

"The Himalayan marathon is organised every year on May 29 from the everest base camp to Namche Bazar. Before the marathon, the runners undertake a 10-day trek from Lukla to the base camp, which are 62km apart, to get themselves acclimatised to the high altitude," she said.



Via: Telegraph

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Run with Roshni Foundation observed its first Foundation day

11:37 PM

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Run with Roshni

28th February, 2016, Run with Roshni Foundation (RWRF) observed its first Foundation day in Kalimpong. Venue was Shyama Devi Hall in Thakurbari. All the runners were very excited to celebrate our first ever Foundation day. Though our event was scheduled to start at 10am, the runners reached the venue at 9am itself, to make all the arrangements.

We did the registrations of all the guests and runners, who were present in the event. We had 40 guests including runners present in our event. Roshni Rai the Founding Trustee did the Power Point Presentation and shared with the guests, how and why Run with Roshni Foundation was started and its achievements till date. All the runners were called on the stage turn wise to share their experiences of running the marathons in different metro cities of India. They all acknowledged their parents and teachers for providing all the supports to them, while going to run the marathons in different cities of India.

Run with Roshni Foundation observed its first Foundation day

Speeches of some runners were very emotional. It was great to see the runners acknowledging their parents. Some runners were sad because their parents and teachers could not make it to the event.
It was an event to share our happiness with all. Laxuman and Roshni Tamang shared their experiences of running Daman Half Marathon 2015. Ranjeet and Bikram shared their experiences of doing five months’ training in Aasansol with the support of RWRF. Binod shared his experiences from Hyderabad Marathon, Daman Marathon and Mumbai Marathon. Aashika and Adipa from Shitong shared their experiences from Mumbai Marathon. Sharaswati is a mother of two kids, who started running to get rid of her gastric problem. Her sharing has inspired many guests present in the event to take up running. Premika shared her experience of identity crisis, while studying in Delhi and she said that she felt very good to support RWRF because the vision of RWRF is very close to her heart. We regret for missing to call Sankumar Darnal on the stage to share his experiences. Mala gave the vote of thanks.

We are very thankful to Tender Buds Academy Pedong, who gave us the donation of Rs.1500/- (fifteen hundred only), with which we could conduct today’s event. We are very thankful to Mr. Hira Chettri, who helped us to distribute the invitation letters to the local clubs of Kalimpong and to all the Medias. We missed the presence of local clubs like Rotary Club of Kalimpong and Veteran Club Kalimpong to whom, we have sent our invitations. We are thankful to all the runners, their parents and teachers, who were present in today’s event. We are inspired carry on our mission!


Via Run with Roshni

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Heart patients, Gorkhas are in race to spread awareness

11:06 AM

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sports

MUMBAI: Sunday's Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon will prove to be empowering in more ways than one.
A group of ten Gorkha boys and girls from far-flung villages of Darjeeling will be running the half-marathon in T-shirts that read: 'We are Gorkhas and proud to be Indians'. The Northeast has for years been fraught with cultural stereotyping and this campaign is the brainchild of Roshni Rai (35), a resident of Mumbai with roots in Pedong to assert their identity in public space.

Fed up with racial slurs, Roshni decided to change things around with a good run. An advocate with "no athletic background" Roshni ran her first marathon in 2007 as part of a leadership project to benefit her community. What started as her medium of self-expression has turned into a rallying cry of support for Gorkhas. "I formed a team of Gorkha runners and I have been using marathons as a platform to highlight grievances and identity issues," said Roshni, who has run 11 marathons across the country.
Her project 'Run with Roshni' has not been a shot in the dark. While it has inspired many from the hills to follow in her footsteps, individuals and running clubs have come forward to dole out the less privileged with registration money, train tickets, accommodation and sports gear. Some of the runners have also earned themselves a job in the Army.
"It has created an opportunity for Gorkhas to understand their potential and for non-Gorkhas to respect them," said Roshni. Talking of twin purposes, 18 sexagenarians will get on their mark on Sunday to prove that they can be happy and healthy even after an open-heart surgery. Called the 'Zippers Club' (taking off from the surgical scar left behind after a bypass that looks like a zipper running up and down the chest) these bravehearts hope to dispel the fears and doubts. "Running is liberating and for most heart surgery patients, it pulls them out of the physical and mental trauma," said Venkatraman Pichumani, who founded the cardiac support group.
Another runner to make a statement at the marathon is 47-year-old Michelle Kakade. "Women are perceived as the weaker sex and physical demanding activities are not our cup of tea especially at my age. If you have the desire and determination no one can stop you," said Michelle whose state of mind helped shape her. With a trail of running records Michelle is aiming for the Guinness World Records for fastest time to travel the Indian golden quadrilateral on foot (female).

Source -Toi

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Roshni‬ Rai selected as the ‪‎Ambassador ‬of ‪‎Everest‬ Marathon, 2016

9:06 AM

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sports news

Ultra Marathon runner, Ms‪ ‎Roshni‬ Rai for being selected as the ‪  ‎Ambassador ‬of ‪‎Everest‬ Marathon, 2016 along with ‪Meera‬ Rai of Nepal. The Everest Marathon, an annual International high altitude marathon run will take place on May 29, 2016 in Nepal. It is one of the most difficult runs in the unforgiving terrains of the ‪‎Himalayas‬.

The ambassadors for the Everest Run 2016 was announced during the event “Cross Border Tourism in the Himalayan Region”, organized by National Tourism Foundation on 6th January 2016 at Heritage Hotel Shankar in Kathmandu. The event was also attended by representatives from Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation.

Roshni Rai was invited to the event by Bikram Pandey, the founder of the National Tourism Foundation which organizes the Everest Run. Roshni’s book “From the Mountains to the Ocean” was also released during the event.

Via GYASA

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Delhi Book Release: Roshni Rai’s “From the Mountains to the Ocean”

12:15 PM

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Run with Roshni

The book release event of Roshni’s Rai’s book “From the Mountains to the Ocean” took place at New Delhi today, 29th of November 2015. Roshni Rai, an advocate by profession is also an ultra-marathon runner and a motivational speaker from Darjeeling.

Roshni Rai is also the founder of “Run Run with Roshni” foundation through which she supports underprivileged Gorkha runners from across India to run in different nation and international marathons run in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Shillong since the year 2012. The vision of ‘Run with Roshni Foundation’ is to find and nurture talented runners from the Gorkha community to represent the country in international and Olympic Games. In every marathon they participate, the team from “Run with Roshni” wears t-shirts with slogan- “WE ARE GORKHAS PROUD TO BE INDIAN. JAI GORKHA JAI HIND!”

Her book “From the Mountains to the Ocean” is the culmination of her journey as a little girl from a remote village in Darjeeling to Mumbai in 2004 through self-discovery and realization in the process. The book narrates the story of Rai’s passion for Running and the vision to highlight the social issues of the Gorkha community through the medium of sports. Interspersed with the history of Darjeeling and of Gorkhas, the book also talks of her struggle to get Gorkhas recognition as Indians through her initiative `Run with Roshni’, whereby she is enabling underprivileged youth from Darjeeling to run marathons across the country.

The book launch event was organized by and hosted by the Gorkha community in JNU, New Delhi. Special shout out to Bijay Thapa for organizing and coordinating the event so smoothly. The event was graced by Major DP Singh, a Kargil War Veteran and India’s first amputee marathon runner. Several eminent Gorkha personalities including Dr. Mahendra P Lama, Prof. Shrawan Kumar Acharya, Jyoti Thapa, Bikram Pandey - Resident Consul General of Greece in Nepal and the chairman of the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon, world’s highest train Running Marathon, Amber Thakuri family of Indian National Army (INA) Capt. Ram Singh Thakuri who composed the song “Kadam Kadam badaye ja, khushi ko geet jaye ja” Colonel Pradhan, Reuben Gurung, Saha Yudhister, Andrew Gurung, Sagan Moktan, and other eminent personalities from across Delhi and Gurgaon attended the event helped at the conference hall of School of International Studies, Building II, JNU Campus, New Delhi.

Speaking at the occasion, Prof Mahendra P Lama emphasized on the need for the community to focus on Education. Citing examples of the contribution of upcoming writers like Roshni Rai and Jyoti Thapa to highlight the different aspects and aspirations of the Gorkha community in various subjects and fields. Roshni Rai also answered questions from the audience on the subject and theme of the book, the challenges and here experiences while publishing her maiden book “From the Mountains to the Ocean.” Roshni Rai was also extended an invitation to the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon 2016 in Nepal. The event ended with an informal interaction with Roshni Rai and the audience over some light refreshment. Roshni Rai also signed copies of her book and readily agreed to selfied and pictures with the fans.

Prof Mahendra P Lama 

Extending heartiest congratulations to Roshni Rai for her achievements, Gorkha Youth and Students’ Association (GYASA) wishes Roshni Rai much more success in the coming future. We will continue support in her endeavor and vision for the question of an Olympic medal from the community.

Via GYASA

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Gorkha community must reorient its focus towards education and entrepreneurship: CM Pawan Chamling

8:34 AM

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Run with Roshni

(A report on the speech made by Shri Pawan Chamling during Gorkha Mahotav 2015, Dehradun )

Shri Pawan Chamling congratulated the people of Uttarakhand and the Gorkha community across the nation for the Mahotsav to mark the glorious 200 years of the Gorkha history in Dehradun. Highlighting the contribution of the Gorkha community towards nation building of India, the Chief Minister pointed out the role Gorkhas have played in shaping the history of India from the days when Buddha marked his journey seeking and spreading knowledge from Nepal to India. Citing the example of the Khalanga he said that the Gorkha community have been natives of the land for time immemorial and are spread across the country like Sikkim, Darjeeling, Assam, and across the North Eastern region.

Reading out a list of Gorkha freedom fighters and martyrs, Shri Pawan Chamling added that right from the Independence struggle of the country, to the currently serving Lieutenant Generals from the community Lieutenant General (Retired) Shakti Gurung PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (Previously Military Secretary of the Indian Army) and Lieutenant General (Retired) Ram Pradhan AVSM, SM, VSM, the commitment shown by the Gorkhas towards the security and defense of the nation remains unparalleled. The list of people he read out consisted of Gorkha people from different parts of the country driving home the point that the community has been spread across the country, and no matter where we are we have always given our best towards nation building.

People often ask me ‘were you born in India, are you from Nepal, Your family migrated to India’?

I tell them “Yeah, perhaps they came along with Lord Buddha.”

While congratulating the people from Uttarakhand for the glorious 200 years, he also highlighted the fact that the Nepali speaking Gorkha community in India is also an example of peace in the country. Citing the example of the peaceful Sikkim merger, he added that the Gorkha community had been committed to peace in the nation and have worked with the government towards solution of issues facing the community within the constitutional framework of India. He also added that the identity of the Indian Gorkha is pan-India as the community is spread across the country.

While every Gorkha community settled in different states of India must work with their state government seeking the welfare of the community, the Identity of the Indian Gorkhas must be worked in close collaboration with the central government. The community is today facing identity issue due to the similarities of Gorkha ethnic identity of the Nepali speaking population across India and Nepal. We are often mistaken for citizens of Nepal. Thus, he emphasized that we need seek center’s intervention and urge the government to recognize the Gorkhas as an ethnic minority community and seek support under ethnic minority provisions of the central Government. He stated that there is a bigger need for us to work for the welfare of the community as a whole and beyond states and territories in India.

Even in changing times and economy, the Gorkha community continues to bring in innovation and quickly adapting to the changing needs of the nation. Citing the example of Sikkim as the first state in India to introduce and promote 100 percent Organic farming, he urged upon the Gorkha students to wake up to the rising call of the nation. He accentuated the point that India and the Gorkha community needs highly educated students in service oriented professional studies and Information Technology, top Central Government bureaucrats, IAS, Foreign services, and other top decision-making positions.

"We must explore entrepreneurship in different fields and create jobs for the people, encourage students for higher studies, aim for the top level decision-making positions of the government bureaucracy, research on history of the people, culture, and art. The youths need to be ‘producers’ and not just ‘consumers’."

The Chief Minister called upon the youth to acquire and develop entrepreneurship skills and venture into promoting tourism, and become producers and not just consumers. He suggested the youths to venture into business and market tourism, handicrafts, art, culture and create jobs and ideas in the society. While our regions have huge tourism potentials, our youths must excel in service sector and find innovative ideas to market the places.

After the speech, the Chief Minister humbly placed himself in the service of the community. He said “Malai Kaam Araunu hous, ke garnu parney bhannu hous, mo jailey pani taiyar chhu.”

Footnote:
Gorkha Youth and Students' Association of India - GYASA (represented by Rajen Chhetry and Dinesh Sharma) and Run with Roshni , VK Kunwor (6th Generation descendant of Capt. Balbhadra Kunwor along with other Gorkhas being honoured during Gorkha DWI Shatapdi Mahotsav 2015 and felicitated by Honourable Shri Pawan Chamling , Chief Minister of Sikkim.

By, Dinesh Sharma
Source GYASA

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Gorkha Bi-Centenary Mahotsav kicks off

8:32 AM

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Run with Roshni

DEHRADUN 18 Nov 2015: The much awaited bicentenary celebrationa of the Gorkha community in Uttarakhand, are all set to start today with the Khalanga run, a running event that is spearheaded by international runner Roshni Rai. Speaking to TOI, Rai, a Mumbai-based lawyer turned marathon runner, said that the 8.7 km run will take the runners through a challenging terrain to the actual site of the Khalanga battle where 200 years ago, the Gorkhas and the British East India Company fought a decisive battle. 

According to Madhu Gurung, one of the organizers of the celebrations, the run, which will have teenagers as well as 50-year-olds, may go on to become an annual feature, with the distance being increased to 10 km so that it becomes a half marathon. Elaborating about the significance of Khalanga for the Gorkhas, she said," The British, after the Khalanga battle, went on to build the Khalanga War Memorial in honour of their valiant enemy, the Gorkhas. It is the only memorial built by the British for their enemy anywhere in the world. For the Gorkhas celebrating their bi-centenary, it is a proud history and legacy they are determined to preserve." 

The Gorkha community has planned a series of activities spanning the next four days, which includes a laser show depicting Gorkha history, a community parade, mela, musical concert and a lot of other activities. Brig PS Gurung, president of the Gorkha Bi-Centenary Mahotsav Committee, said that the cultural parade which will be held on Friday morning from Bindal bridge to Parade Ground will "give people an idea of who we really are, our clothes, dances and our history." For the first time, people of Dehradun will witness Gorkhas dressed in traditional clothes, doing traditional dances and showing tableaus of their heroes and legends," he said. 

In the evening on Friday, chief minister Harish Rawat will inaugurate the Gorkha Mahotsav with a band concert at the Mahender Ground in Garhi Cantt. Besides Gorkha bands putting up what the organizers term the ''Battle of the Bands', the other attraction at the concert would be Kapil Thapa, runner up of a popular TV singing reality show. A light and sound show showcasing the 200 years of Gorkhas will round off the evening. On Saturday and Sunday, visitors can sample Gorkha delicacies and buy souvenirs at the Gorkha mela at Mahender Ground.

Source: TOI

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From the Mountain to the Ocean — the journey of Roshni Rai

2:50 PM

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Run with Roshni

Writes Namita Gupta

Running has easily become a way of life for this legal executive. Despite being a busy lawyer, Roshni Rai from Kalimpong, Darjeeling felt that running is like an investment in oneself. She’s the force behind the campaign Run with Roshni and is working on empowering Gorkhas. She has not only supported Gorkha runners to run Olympic marathons representing India, but has also penned a book.
From the Mountain to the Ocean — Run with Roshni is the journey of a girl from a small village, Pedong. She will be in Bengaluru on November 8 to launch her book and also participate in the Bangalore Ultra Run. We ask Roshni, who is referred to as Chinki Minki (Chinese doll) by her friends, why she moved from being a lawyer (she has done Masters in Law (LLM) from Mumbai) to a runner and she shares, “I studied law and the shift took place after I did Landmark Forum from Landmark Worldwide. While running marathons, I felt it was the best way to express myself fully and that’s when I started doing things connected with long distance running.”
Roshni also keeps coming to Bengaluru, besides travelling the world over, “I have participated in Bangalore Ultra marathon (50km), Bangalore Ultra Marathon (75km), Prague International Marathon (42km), Maidenhead half marathon (21km) in UK and London Run To The Beat (10km). I  will be running Bangalore Ultra Marathon 2015 (100km) on November 7 and I will be launching my book the next day in Koramangala. Bengaluru has a growing running culture, which is very nice. This book is about my journey from a small village in Darjeeling to Mumbai and how I started running marathons and about Run with Roshni, through which we are supporting the underprivileged Gorkha runners to run marathons. I want to create a team of Gorkha runners who will bring gold medals from the Olympic marathon to India.”

Running related injuries set her back, but only temporarily as she came back with a vengeance and ran over 40 long distance races. “After my heart break, I was sinking into depression and one early morning, I went out to run because I was tired of crying alone in my room. Initially, I was crying and running but after sometime, I stopped crying and was only running. I felt fresh and hungry and after that day, running in the morning became a habit. I ran a 21 km Mumbai marathon without much practice after that, I joined Colgate as a legal executive, where I met my running coach Daniel Vaz. After training I ran more than 40 races, including half marathon (21km), Marathon (42 km), Ultra marathon of 50 km, 75 km and the Comrades marathon of 89 km in South Africa. I dedicated my Comrades Marathon as a tribute to all the Gorkha soldiers, who have sacrificed their lives to protect India. Before the finish line, they gave me the Indian flag and I ran with it,” says the woman of steel. 

Deccan Chronicle

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'From the Mountain to the Ocean- Run with Roshni’ book released in Guwahati and Gangtok

3:32 PM

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Run with Roshni

Nanda Kirati Dewan

Empowering the Gorkhas and Enlightening others about the Gorkhas  is the mission of ‘Run with Roshni . ‘From the Mountain to the Ocean-Run with Roshni’ released in Guwahati and Gangtok.

Guwahati 15th  Oct 2015:  The book ‘From the Mountain to the Ocean-Run with Roshni’was released on Saturday at Gauhati Press Club, Guwahati by Anshu Jamsenpa, first mother in the world and only Indian woman who scaled the Mount Everest thrice and Ms. Pomi Baruah, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister, Govt. of Assam in a book release and interactive session organized by Gorkha Youth of Guwahati (GYG) and Mantraa Media & Events and powered by North East Today – NE India’s leading news magazine. Avas Foundation and Run with Roshni Founadtion supported the initiative and organizations viz All Assam Gorkha Students Union; Guwahati City Committee, All Manipur Gorkha Students’ Union (AMGSU), Guwahati City Unit, students of various colleges of Guwahati city including the Cotton College and Guwahati University and others accorded her welcome and felicitations. Dr. Saumen Bharatiya, Director of Vicky Publishers and President of Byatikram MASDO , Meghraj Timsina, Chairman of Mantraa Group of Companies , Mr. Raja Publisher and Editor of Raijor Batori and Bidhan Dasgupta publisher of Shailo Prabaho, Convenor of GYG Resham Parajuli, President of Guwahati City AAGSU Santosh Powdel, Raj Newar publicity secretary of AAGSU too were present as guests.  Members of North East Kirat Rai Sanskritik Sansthan, Greater Guwahati Gorkhali Mahila Samity, Gauhati Press Club, various Journalists associations and youths across the North Eastern states were present in the book release function.

Anshu Jamsenpa (L) Mountaineer who climed Mount Everest thrice and Pomi Baruah (R) OSD to CM, Govt. of Assam relaesing Roshni rai's book at Gauhati Press Club on saturday.

Roshni Rai, Indian Gorkha International Ultra Marathon Runner and founder of Run with Roshni which is very extensive and ambitious venture, spreading awareness about “Indian Gorkhas” and its age old identity crisis said that the book ‘From the Mountain to the Ocean-Run with Roshni’ is story of a patriot community who not only laid down lives for the nation but contributed in the nation building process demanding their Indian identity in India and statehood since a century now.

An enthusiast Gorkha actvist Kamal Pradhan recieves autographed book from the author Roshni Rai.

On Sunday Roshni Rai also addressed the students of Gauhati University at an interactive session in the Romailo-Bhetghat organized by Greater Guwahati Gorkhali Students Family at Phanidhar Dutta Hall at GU Administrative Campus on Sunday. The motivational speaker was invited as Special Guest of Honour for an interactive session and released the ‘LOHIT PUTRA’ – the mouthpiece of GGGSF. The Chief of the Gorkha Development Council (GDC), Govt. of Assam Shri. Lok Nath Upadhyay, Vice President of Assam Gorkha Sammelan Shri. Krishna Bhujel, Dr. Khagen Sharma, Associate Professor Deptt. Of MIL, Gauhati University, Prof Hem Chandra Gautam and others called on Roshni Rai while in Guwahati and assured to support  Run with Roshni Foundation

Members of Cotton College Gorkha Students Union felicitated Roshni Rai .

Addressing thousands of students at Guwahati University Roshni said, ‘Each of us must have a mission of Encouraging the Gorkhas and enlightening the non-Gorkhas’ as you all will be influential and important individual of resource of the community tomorrow. Recalling an incident about racial discrimination She said,’Like you all in 2004 I  had found new life in Mumbai while I went to study LLM in Mumbai University , yet I felt a tug in my heart as I yearned to feel the mountain air and watch the mist move seductively through the undulating hills of Pedong, Kalimpong sub division of Gorkha dominated Darjeeling district of proposed Gorkhaland. I was rudely shaken from my reverie when I heard taunts from the local boys “Oiy...Chinky...Minky...” “ Oiy.....Chicken Chili” “ Oiy...Oiy..Kancheee..” “Oieeee Nepali..” In a fit of rage I strode over to the group and said “I am from Darjeeling, India and yes proud to be a Gorkhali, and an Indian”

Roshni rai is accorded felicitation with a traditional Assamese headgear Jhapi and Phoolam Gamoocha- a scraf by Officer on Special Duty to CM Govt. of Assam Pomi Baruah in Guwahati.

Replying to a question on Gorkhas of Assam and Gorkhaland an advocate by profession Roshni Rai said ‘Darjeeling is the heart of the Gorkhas but Assam is the face of Gorkhas of the Nation and Gorkhaland is not about Darjeeling alone, it is the aspiration of 10.5 millions Gorkhas of this country out of which more than 30 lakhs I am told are in Assam.’ The Gorkha Gaurav Awardee instituted by Gorkhaland Terrritorial Administration added that her mission is to empowering the  Gorkhas and enlightening others about the Gorkhas .

Gorkha Youth of Guwahati with Roshni Rai and Anshu Jamsenpa after the interaction session and book release .

I have chosen Sports that is Marathon as medium to air my voice towards racial discrimination which common for all Mongolian orientation faces from the North East in mainland India and I feel by and large I have been quite successful. I am delighted to be here in this beautiful and holy city of Guwahati and thank the organizers Gorkha Youth of Guwahati and Avas  Foundation for their support and Mantraa Group of Companies for arranging my book release function and sponsors for their wholesome support. I must acknowledge team Mantraa Media & Events headed by Nanda Kirati Dewan for his constant support in my initiatives making this a happen in  Guwahati.

Anshu Jamsenpa, the only Indian woman mountaineer who climbed the Mt. Everest thrice lauded Roshni’s efforts in documenting her thoughts and vision striving hard to achieve her mission. Pomi Barauh OSD to CM, Govt. of Assam appreciated the mission undertaken under Run with Roshni Foundation to train Indian underprivileged youths for Olympic Marathon medals. She assured Roshini of all possible support at her capacities to support the cause undertaken. Dr. Bharatiya the director of Vicky Publishers proposed to translate the book in Bengali and publish it from Assam for Bengali readers across the country so they also understand the quest of Indian Gorkhas for statehood and that Gorkhaland is not separation from Bengal but identity aspiration Gorkha people in India.
In Gangtok the book was released by P.J.Lama,National Table Tennis Player ,Sikkim State Veteran T.T. Association at Rachna Books. and the author herself at Rachna Books followed by an interaction.

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“Ramailo with Gorkhas” - Run with Roshni charity event

5:57 PM

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Run with Roshni

Date-12th Sept, 2015
Venue- Cidco Auditorium, Vashi, Navi Mumbai.
Supported by Gorkha Territorial Administration, Darjeeling.
Project ‘Run with Roshni’ is started by a Gorkha Girl from a village known as Pedong in the sub-division of Kalimpong, District Darjeeling. Roshni is an Advocate, the ultra marathon runner and a motivational speaker. She is based in Mumbai. Now ‘Run with Roshni Foundation’ is registered as a Public Trust.

Marathon running is Roshni’s hobby and she has run several marathons, which includes four international marathons viz.
1.Prague International Marathon 2010 (42km),
2.Comrades Marathon 2012 (89km) in South Africa,
3. Maidenhead Half marathon 2013 (21km) in UK and
4. 10km Race- ‘ London Run to the Beat 2014.

Ramailo with Gorkhas

The longest distance run by Roshni is the Comrades Marathon of 89km in South Africa in 2012, which she had dedicated as a tribute to all the Gorkha martyrs, who have sacrificed their lives for mother India and also for the cause of Gorkhaland.

From 2012, Roshni has started a project by name ‘Run with Roshni’ and till now, she has supported more than 30 runners from Darjeeling to run eight different Marathons and Tiranga Relay 2015.
Following are the details of the marathons participated by team ‘Run with Roshni’.
1. Mumbai Marathon in January 2012,
2. Mumbai Marathon in January 2013
3. Hyderabad marathon in August 2013
4. Chennai Marathon in December 2013.
5. Mumbai Marathon in January 2014.
6. Hyderabad Marathon in August 2014
7. Mumbai Marathon in January 2015.
8. Tiranga Relay 2015- Five runners ran with India’s flag from Mumbai to Delhi in 20 days.
9. Cherrapunji Marathon 2015 (Meghalaya) in July 2015.

Future Events
1. Bangalore Half Marathon 2015 in October- Two runners areregistered.
2. Nashik Half Marathon 2015 in December- Six runners will go.
3. Mumbai Marathon 2016- thirteen runners are registered.
VISION of the project ‘Run with Roshni’ are;
• To empower and enlighten Gorkhas in India.
• To eliminate the identity crisis faced by Nepali speaking Indian in their own motherland.
• Bringing awareness among Indians, how the Nepali speaking people are Indians.
• To bring awareness all over India that Nepali is a recognized language under the Constitution of India and it is one of the languages mentioned in the Indian currency.

SLOGAN;
We are Gorkhas and proud to be Indian. Jai Gorkha, Jai Hind.

MISSION
• To support strong runners from economically backward class in Darjeeling to run national and international marathons.
• To make India proud by winning International and Olympic Marathons by Indian Gorkha runners.
• To let the world know, who the Gorkhas are by getting media mentions through running and winning marathons.

Best timings of the runners;
1. Runesh Tamang ran Mumbai Marathon 2013 (42km) in 2hrs 51km and he came third in Amateur Category.
2. Prabal Chettri ran Mumbai Half Marathon 2012 (21km) 1hr 17mins.
3. Binod Tamang ran Mumbai Half Marathon 2014 (21km) 1hr 18mins.
4. Uttam Bhujel ran Mumbai Half Marathon 2015(21km) 1hr 15mins.

If the runners of team ‘Run with Roshni’ get proper support and enough encouragement, in another 3-4 years, they will start competing with Kenyans / Ethiopians and start making India proud by winning International Marathons. All the runners, whom we are supporting, can run 21km in between 1hr 10mins to 1hr 30 mins, without proper coach and guidance. Many times these runners do not have proper running shoes as well.

Ramailo with Gorkhas
‘Run with Roshni Foundation’ organized its first charity event ‘Ramailo with Gorkhas’ on 12th Sept, 2015 in CIDCO Auditorium, Vashi, Navi Mumai. Mr. AdilleSumariwalla, Indian Olympian and the President of Athletics Federation of India graced the event as a Chief Guest along with the distinguished guests like Dr. Malav Shroff, the Indian Olympian and Mr. Atul Kulkarni, Consultant to Ministry of Petroleum.

The aims of the event were to provide an awareness about all the Indian Gorkhas, our unsung contribution and to showcase our rich cultural heritage that contributes to making mother India, awesome and to raise the fund to sponsor 13 runners from Darjeeling to run Mumbai Marathon in January, 2016.

Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) supported the event by sponsoring the travel tickets of thirteen dancers from Darjeeling to Mumbai. Their food and accommodations were supported by Mr. Krishna Tamang, the owner of China Gate. The Dancers from Darjeeling performed the following dances;
1. Sarothi Dance
2. Maruni Dance
3. PachemeliChutke
4. TamangCelo and
5. Gorkha Folk Dance.

Mrs. Hira Rasaily was the guest performer all the way from Darjeeling on her own expense. Gorkha Youths of Mumbai also performed in the event under the leadership of Mr. Vivek Khati.
‘Ramailo with Gorkhas’ was inaugurated with the lighting of lamp by the Chief Guest, which was followed by the signing of National Anthem by all the guests.

Mrs. Poonam Lama, one of the Trustee of the Foundation gave the welcome speech.
Trustees of the foundation acknowledged the following supporters of the ‘Run with Roshni
1. Mr. Daniel Vaz- Marathon Coach for the Team Run with Roshni.
2. Mr. Prakash Wani, ACP Mumbai Police (Retd)- For the support to get the registration done for Run with Roshni Foundation as a Public Trust.
3. Mr. Mehra for buying 13 pairs of Nike shoes worth Rs. 70000/- (Seventy Thousand) for the team.
4. Mrs. Mala Sherpa and Ms. Premika Rai, the Co coordinators of team Run with Roshni in Darjeeling.

In March 2015, Foundation had raised Rs. 3 lacs for the treatment of a blood cancer patient Jyotika Khati from Darjeeling with the support of the runners from Mumbai. On this charity event, Foundation acknowledged the following supporters of the 'Run for Jyotika';
1. Mr. Vivek Sagar- Main supporter to organize the run.
2. Mr. Hari Nair- Coach of the runners club, Runestic-Dilse, who helped to raise Rs. 1lakh 10 thousand for Jyotika.
3. Mr. Samuel Chattair, a cancer survivor, who donated Rs.35000/- for Jyotika
4. Mrs. Mala Sachdev
5. Mr. Sunil Gwalani
6. Mr. Dinesh Lungani.
7. Dr. Sudarshan Singh & Mr. Vivek Soni from Joint and motion.
8. Mrs. Sonia Kulkarni & Mrs. Sharmila Munj- Pinkathon Ambassador for supporting to make the Run for Jyotika big.
9. Mrs. Vani Arora- For always helping team Run with Roshni, when they are in Mumbai.

Acknowledging program was in batches. The foundation acknowledged the following distinguished Gorkhas of Mumbai;
1. Prof. Jagdish Thapa – The first Gorkha to graduate from IIT in 1958.
2. Mr. Ranjeet Gajmer- Composer, who introduced madal in Bollywood.
3. Mr. LB Subba–First Gorkha scientist with BARC (Retd).
4. Mr. Lalit Dutraj, ACP Mumbai Police (Retd)- He is a Gorkhas Pride in Mumbai and the founder member of Bharatiya Gorkha Ekta Sangh (BGES).
5. Mr. C.B Chettri- MDRT and COT in LIC. He is a guardian to every Gorkha in Mumbai.
6. Mr. P Shashankar – Admin head of MGM hospital, Vashi. He is the Vice President of Bharatiya Gorkha Ekta Sangh(BGES).
7. Mr. Durva Pradhan- Nepali Industrialist and the President of BGES.
8. Mr. Rohit Pradhan- He is working with Times of India. He is the Secretary of BGES
9. Mrs. Indu Gajmer President of Sunakhari Nepali Mahila Samaj. In her absence, Mrs. Vishnu Singh and Mrs. Jyotsna were called upon the stage.
10. Major Habi Gurung, who is from Dehradun and socially very active.
11. Colonel Tilak Thapa.
12. Mr. Mahesh Powrel, Deputy Commandant, CISF.

Mr. Dhruva Pradhan, the president of BGES announced the launch of the website of BGES during his presentation.

The cultural program was followed by the Launch of the book ‘FROM THE MOUNTAIN TO THE OCEAN RUN WITH ROSHNI’ written by Ms. RoshniRaithe founder of the Run with Roshni Foundation. After the book Launch Chief Guest appreciated the effort of the foundation and he praised the Gorkhas for their contribution towards India. He also acknowledged the Bravery, Loyalty and Integrity of the Gorkhas.

Roshni read the first chapter of her book, after which her father Mr. Nardhoj Rai gave his speech. The publisher of the book, Mr. Venkat Pichumani also spoke about the book. As an ambassador of Puma, Mr. Pichumani presented the running kits to Roshni, which is meant for the entire team, who are going to participate in Mumbai Marathon 2016.

The event was concluded with the Thank you message from Mrs. Jaya Chhetri, the trustee of the foundation. We handed over the seal of appreciation to the dancers from GTA, Darjeeling.
Many Gorkha parents in Mumbai were happy for being able to show Gorkha cultural program to their kids. Founding Trustee, Roshni Rai says though the event’s aim was to raise funds for the foundation, they could not manage to raise even Rs. 3lakhs. However the intention of the event, which was to connect with all the Gorkhas in Mumbai and to bring awareness about Gorkha Culture to non Gorkhas were fulfilled.

We are very thankful to the following volunteers, who helped us to raise funds for this event by distributing donor passes to the people from all over Mumbai;-
Mr. Prakash Wani, Mr. Hari Nair, Mr. Suraj Chettri, Mrs. Sai Jyoti Chettri, Mr. Kesav Sapkota, Ms. Shristee Gurung, Ms. Sabina Lama, Mrs. Reshmi Karma, Mr. Mani Tamang, Mr. Shadeep Tamang, Mrs. Vani Arora, Mrs. Rajani Subba.

Gorkha Cultural Program in Mumbai University.
On 14th September, 2015, Foundation arranged for a Gorkha Cultural Event in the Student’s welfare Department of Mumbai University with the support of Mr. AtulKulkarni. Event was graced by the presence Dr. Manali Londhe, Director of Students’ Welfare Department, Mumbai University, Mr. Nilesh Sawe, Cultural Coordinator, Mumbai University, Dr. Terence D’souza, Foreign Advisor, Mumbai University and Prof. NishaDeodher, Manjunatha College, Dombivelli.

In Mumbai University, program started with the presentation of ‘Run with Roshni’ by Roshni Rai. She shared with the students the vision of ‘Run with Roshni’, which is to create a team of Gorkha runners, who will win Olympic Marathon for India, which will ultimately help to eliminate the identity crisis faced by Indian Gorkhas. In every marathon, they participate, her team, wears t-shirts with slogan- WE ARE GORKHAS PROUD TO BE INDIAN. JAI GORKHA JAI HIND!

The program was anchored by Roshni herself, while sharing the experience of her identity crisis, she became emotional. Later in the concluding speech, Mr. NileshSawe made his students promise that they will make sure that the Indian Gorkha feel emotionally integrated with India. All the students enjoyed the dances performed by the Dancers from Darjeeling. Mrs. Hira Rasaily presented one Nepali song and two Hindi songs of Lata Mangeskar, which was very well received by all. After the program was over, all the students present were seeking blessings from Mrs. Rasaily by touching her feet.

‘Run with Roshni Foundation’ is very thankful to Mr. Dawa Lepcha, Sabhasad of Pedong, who connected us with Mr. Bimal Gurung, Chief Executive of GTA and Mr. Binay Tamang, Sabhasad of Cultural Department, GTA, who sent thirteen dancers from Darjeeling to Mumbai. Special thanks to Mr. Krishna Tamang for all local support to the dancers in Mumbai.


Via Roshni Rai 

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‘Ramailo with Gorkhas’ successfully organized by ‘Run with Roshni’

6:08 PM

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Run with Roshni

‘Run with Roshni’ Foundation organized its first charity event ‘Ramailo with Gorkhas’ on 12th Sept, 2015 in CIDCO Auditorium, Vashi, Navi Mumai. Mr. Adille Sumariwalla, President of Athletics Federation of India graced the event as a Chief Guest along with the distinguished guests like Dr. Malav Shroff, the Indian Olympian and Mr. Atul Kulkarni, Consultant to Ministry of Petroleum.
Thirteen Dancers from Darjeeling were sponsored by GTA, who showed different forms of Nepali dances, viz SAROTHI DANCE, MARUNI DANCE, TAMANG CELLO, PACHIMELY CHUTKE et al. The welcome song was performed by Mrs. Hira Rasaily, who is known as Nepali Lata Mangeskar. Mrs. Rasaily has traveled to Mumbai on her own expenditure to support ‘Run with Roshni Foundation’. Her songs were highly appreciated by not only Gorkhas but all the non Gorkhas present in the event.

‘Ramailo with Gorkhas’ successfully organized by ‘Run with Roshni’

In this event, Foundation acknowledged the following distinguished Gorkhas in Mumbai;
1. Prof. Jagdish Thapa – The first Gorkha to graduate from IIT.
2. Mr. Ranjeet Gajmer- Composer, who introduced madal in Bollywood.
3. Mr. LB Subba - Ex scientist with BARC.
4. Mr. Lalit Dutraj, ACP Mumbai Police (Retd)- He is a Gorkhas Pride in Mumbai and the founder member of Bharatiya Gorkha Ekta Sangh (BGES).
5. Mr. CB Chettri- MDRT and COT in LIC. He is a guardian to every Gorkha in Mumbai.
6. Mr. P Shashankar – Admin head of MGM hospital, Vashi. He is the Vice President of (BGES).
7. Mr. Durva Pradhan- Nepali Industrialist and the President of Bharatiya Gorkha Ekta Sangh (BGES).
8. Mr. Rohit Pradhan- He is working with Times of India. He is the Secretary of BGES
9. Mrs. Indu Gajmer President of Sunakhari Nepali Mahila Samaj. In her absence, Mrs. Vishnu Singh and Mrs. Jyotsna was called upon the stage.
10. Major Habi Gurung, who is from Dehradun and socially very active.
11. Colonel Thapa

Foundation also acknowledged the supporters of 'Run for Jyotika'.

The cultural program was followed by the Launch of the book ‘FROM THE MOUNTAIN TO THE OCEAN RUN WITH ROSHNI’ written Ms. Roshni Rai the founder of the Run with Roshni Foundation by the Chief Guest. After the book Launch Chief Guest appreciated the effort of the foundation and he praised the Gorkhas for their contribution towards India. He also acknowledged the Bravery, Loyalty and Integrity of the Gorkha Community.

Roshni read the first chapter of her book, after which her father Mr. Nardhoj Rai gave his speech. The book is published by YouTooCanRun Sports Management Pvt. Ltd and its founder Mr. Venkat Pichumani also spoke about the book. As an ambassador of Puma, Mr. Pichumani presented the running kits to Roshni, which is meant for the entire team, who are going to participate in Mumbai Marathon 2016.

Via Run with Roshni

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Charity Event - Ramailo with Gorkha by Run with Roshni

10:11 PM

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Run with Roshni

Run with Roshni Foundation’ cordially invites you to come and enjoy ‘Ramailo With Gorkhas’, an evening filled with rich Gorkhali culture, delicious cuisine and a room filled with warm & friendly Gorkha smiles.

Run with Roshni -a Mission- a Vision- a Dream ! Run with Roshni is a Brainchild of Roshni Rai, a Gorkha girl from a village known as Pedong in the District of Darjeeling, West Bengal. Roshni is Advocate by profession and she is based in Mumbai.

‘Ramailo’ translates as entertainment in Nepali language and since life is short we believe to seek happiness in everything we do. The key objective of this initiative ‘Ramailo with Gorkha’ is to raise funds to sponsor 12 passionate but under privileged runners from Darjeeling looking forward to run the Mumbai Marathon.

This platform aims to provides an awareness about all the Indian Gorkhas, their unsung contribution and showcase their rich cultural heritage that contributes to making mother India, awesome!

So come, engage in conversation with the talented Gorkhas and witness the culture come alive through a short Cultural Program which will be followed by the launch of the book ‘Mountain to the Ocean- Run with Roshni’ written by budding author, Roshni Rai.

We are extremely obliged to have Mr. Adille Sumariwall, President of Atletics Federation of India who will grace the event, as Chief Guest.

With the support of GTA, we are getting some dancers from Darjeeling to perform in ‘Ramailo with Gorkhas’.

You have always supported us with wishes and prayers, this day we look forward to meeting you in person.

Please grace our event with your presence & support us to bring the emotional integrity & Unity in Diversity of India with Gorkha Community.

So Come celebrate with Gorkhas, Celebrate being Indian.

Date: 12 Sept, 2015

Time: 6pm to 8:30pm

Venue: Cidco Auditorium, Vashi, Next to Rajasthan Bhavan

For further information contact Mrs. Poonam Lama- 9819318894 and Mrs. Jaya Chhetri- 9930535126

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Gorkha Youths took part in Kargil Vijay Diwas marathon to support One Rank One Pension

10:33 PM

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sports news

26/07/15:- GYASA (Gorkha Youth and Students’ Association of India) is proud to take part in the 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas 2015, held in Delhi. ‎Kargil Vijay Diwas‬ is remembered on 26 July every year after the success of ‘Operation Vijay’ in Kargil War (26 July 1999).

GYASA members from across the Delhi/NCR who part in the 15km marathon.

Altogether, over 25 GYASA members from across the Delhi/NCR take part in the 15km marathon. The motive behind this marathon was to show respect to the Kargil martyrs who sacrificed their lives to the nation. Moreover, the gesture was also to stand by with the veteran soldiers’ long standing demand for ONE RANK ONE PENSION (‪OROP‬).

Special thanks to Roshni Didi (sister) for introducing us to this event. Roshni with her Run with Roshni team also took 8hr and 55.6km marathon in Mumbai supporting the cause and the event.
We are especially thankful to 16-members of GYASA, particularly from Gurgaon locality who dedicated their precious time for the marathon.

GYASA appraised our Arpan Bhai (brother) for his enthusiasm and motivation. He was our star runner at the event and has huge interests in running. We are also thankful to each GYASA members and each and every Gorkhas who joined in supporting the cause and programme. We also had a brief moment with Major DP Singh, India’s blade runner, where he was very happy to see the participation of the Gorkha community in the marathon. He was gracious enough to spend some time with us. Finally GYASA also interacted with several other retired army officers and expressed our support and solidarity for the cause. We also had the privilege to listen to Shri Anna Hazare supporting the cause.

Like ‘Run with Roshni’ says, “WE ARE GORKHAS AND PROUD TO BE INDIANS”. We are proud of our Gorkha soldiers and will stand by them in their legitimate demand for One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme. We as youth and students are proud of your contribution towards the nation. ‪Gorkha‬ soldiers- we are living peacefully in our home because you scavenge the frontiers.

Lets ‪Gorkhalism‬
Jai Hind Jai Gorkha

Via - GYASA

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Shoes for the runners of team Run with Roshni

10:09 AM

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sports

Gorkha youth icon Roshni Rai, the famed marathon runner hailing from Kalimpong and who has been running for the identity of Gorkhas residing across India, has unexpectedly found a good Samaritan in Mumbai.

A diamond merchant Mr. Mehra with Roshni Rai

It is learnt from sources that the story of the runner and her flagship campaign ‘Run with Roshni’ was covered by a local daily of Mumbai which spoke of the struggle that she and her team faces to maintain the campaign as she is not backed by any public or government organisation. She and her team raises funds to support the ‘Run with Roshni’ campaign, explained the paper.

Later, she received a call from someone introducing himself as LB Mehra, who asked her to meet him at the city’s popular ‘Palladium Mmall’. When she did meet the caller, Roshni was over the moon to find that Mehra, a diamond merchant, had purchased 13 pairs of Nike shoes, along with three pairs of socks each for the team ‘Run with Roshni’, the total bill which amounted to Rs70,000.

It may be recalled that Roshni had earlier approached for financial assistance with local organisations of Darjeeling through several online requests, but nothing much was done for the team. Even the GTA who honoured the runner with the ‘Gorkha Gaurav’ award had failed to do what the diamond merchant has done so generously. (HS)

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Gorkha Youth Icon Roshni Rai Meets Central Sports Minister

9:35 PM

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sports news

Gorkhali youth icon and the founder of Run with Roshni project, Ms. Roshni Rai met with Union Sports Minister Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal in the Sports Authority of India Complex, Kandiveli.
Ms. Roshni informed the Hon'ble Minister on the "Identity Crisis" face by the Gorkhalis in India, and how she is promoting awareness about Indian Gorkhas through the Run With Roshni project.

Gorkha Youth Icon Roshni Rai Meets Central Sports Minister

The Minister was appreciative of her efforts, and has promised support in her future endeavors.
Corresponding with TheDC, Ms. Roshni Rai said, "I am so thankful to Mr. Atul Kulkarni who gave me this opportunity to interact with the Minister..." she added, "It was also amazing that I met NE Actress Kristine, and Sangamitra a Fashion Designer from Assam, who is now based in London"
One step at a time, the Gorkhas we are forging our bonds, and gradually we are moving towards helping erase the identity crisis facing our community.

Source :The Darjeeling Chronicle

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‘Run with Roshni’ looking for shoes for a clutch of talented Darjeeling athletes

9:55 PM

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sports news

Run with Roshni, a project started by Mumbai-based advocate Roshni Rai, is looking for sponsors to donate running shoes for a clutch of underprivileged marathon runners from Darjeeling who run under the umbrella ‘Run with Roshni’.

Puran, Menuka & Bikram are running Cherapunjee Marathon on 17th July 

The Run with Roshni project is supporting this talent since 2012, to help them run marathons in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. Says Rai, a marathon runner herself, “Team Run with Roshni is supporting 12 runners to run Mumbai Marathon 2016.

We need 12 pairs of running shoes. Even if people have second hand shoes of their sizes, (all ranging from US size 5 to 7) that would be of help.” Though the accent is on the Mumbai event, several of the runners in fact, run a very fast half-marathon (21 km) Rai says that every effort is made to give them maximum exposure. She adds, “Three runners from team Run with Roshni are running the Cherrapunji Marathon on July 17.”

Expense
The young runners come from poor families and find it difficult to buy long distance running equipment, given their financial condition. They are mostly sons and daughters of farmers from villages around Darjeeling. Rai says that these runners are currently training for the marathon in hilly areas around Darjeeling.

“The high altitude is beneficial. I go to Darjeeling very often, to monitor how they are training. I have approached a sportswear company for shoes for these athletes. I am also appealing to people to give running shoes. These talented youngsters wear canvas shoes and train. Marathon runners need a couple of pairs a year, because the soles wear out due to the high amount of mileage, so I am hoping that each of these runners get at least two-three pairs, so that they can train in them.”

Roots
Rai, is originally from Pedong village, which falls in the Kalimpong sub-division, in the Darjeeling district. She says I support them because they are such good runners. We have to give them avenues and opportunities. In the end, I think these are small steps towards my ultimate aim, ensuring that Gorkha runners represent the country at an Olympics.”

Rai, who is also writing a book on the identity crisis facing Indian Gorkhas, using her personal experiences as a prism, says that she has supported more than 30 runners from Darjeeling to run seven different marathons. Out of these the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon stands out because of its international stature.

Rai is steadfast in her belief a day will come when these young Gorkhas will battle the best in the world. While working towards that, she is chipping away at stereotypes about people from the North East and clearing misconceptions. It is a tough, multi-pronged effort, but using the marathon event as a platform and vehicle, Rai believes she is getting there.

To help team Run with Roshni email for details: runwithroshni@gmail.com

What is Run with Roshni?
Project 'Run with Roshni' is started by a Gorkha girl from a village known as Pedong in the sub-division of Kalimpong, Dist, Darjeeling. Roshni is an advocate by profession and based in Mumbai. Marathon running is Roshni’s hobby and she has run several marathons including four international marathons. These are:
1. Prague International Marathon 2010 (42km), 
2. Comrades Marathon 2012 (89km) in South Africa, 
3. Maidenhead Half marathon 2013 (21km) in UK and 
4. 10km Race ‘London Run to the Beat 2014’.

Run with Roshni

Her vision is:
>> To empower and enlighten Gorkhas in India. 
>> To eliminate the identity crisis faced by Nepali speaking Indians in India. 
>> Bringing awareness amongst Indians, about how Nepali speaking people are Indians. 
>> To bring awareness all over India, that Nepali is a recognized language under the Constitution of India and is one of the languages mentioned in the Indian currency.

Best timings of runners
Runesh Tamang: Mumbai Marathon (42km) 2013 Time: 2:51m. Third in the amateur category.
Prabal Chettri: Mumbai Half Marathon (21km) 2012  Time: 1:17m.
Binod Tamang: Mumbai Half Marathon (21km) 2014. Time: 1:18m.
Uttam Bhujel: Mumbai Half Marathon (21km) 2015. Time: 1:15m.

Source: mid-day.com

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