Break free !

Break free ! (At Lalbhai Contractor Surat Marathon.)

Shackled in fear and stress of the pandemic, the ordeal seemed unending. Sorrow of loosing so many near ones and people in close acquaintances, frontline heroes and people in general to the cruel disease was becoming normal and has made us numb almost. The new normal that we talked about in a fancy became a routine. Our fight to come out breaking the fear to help the feontline doctors and needy patients took courage and hardwork, as we scrambled through the lockdown to amass resources for medical supplies for the frontline heroes. The wave after wave deranged all social norms and had put us all in shackles. So we all know what it takes.

They say it's easy to win the war, but it's very difficult to wedge a war. It's easy to finish but it's difficult to start. 

And knowing the great difficulties that go in to organizing a timed race in city and that too in Surat, takes some strong tough wedge, a wedge of courage, strength and determination to put up a show like what we witnessed today. 

Team LBSM and SDCA, take a bow! You guys have broken the shackles of 2 years of lockdown, both physical and mental, and have set the runners free ! 

While seeing so many regular runners getting their personal best timings, there is hardly anything left to say about how excellent was the route managed by the volunteers from so many different units like LCG and ace runners who sacrificed their run to be volunteers, and it was specially a delight to see NCC cadets manning some stations and cheer near finish line. Ample hydration and warmth of all the volunteers cheering made the first freedom run memorable! 

There is nothing to be said more about the race, the holding area, the punctuality, the hydration, the volunteering, the medal or the systems. It's all evident on all the runners faces, and all the runners must have seen the wide smiles on all faces describing everything. 

Personally for me, the runner in me can exactly be described by this picture of Sinan and Kaniska Virani, who represents the soul of so many of us, who were running physically but their soul was flying merrily on the road, celebrating the freedom of the first city race, like this child in the pictures, and it surely was worth memorable one. ! 

Rosy Starling incident

The incident: 

The incident as reported on our Prayas team helpline on 3rd February at about 4 pm, was that a flock of birds have died together at one of the buildings on ring road near old RTO. Team quickly responded and observed that there were around 35 to 40 dead Rosy Starling birds dead bodies were scattered in the foyer of the head office building of the SURAT DISTRICT COOPERATIVE BANK.

The concerned officer Mr Fenil who had contacted us narrated the incident as there was a sudden thudding sound on the higher floor glass windows and next thing the see is the flock laying on the floor. 

Helping staff quickly rushed and trying to revive some birds that had some movement and they did see a few recover and fly away, while most of them lay dead, immobile. 

Prayas team rescuers immediately realized that it was a case of the flock hitting the glass elevation in full velocity. 

The CCTV footages also aupported the judgment and it was for sure after observing the glass elevation from outside that the whole elevation looked as if it was an open sky with trees , which was the exact mirror image reflection of the place opposite, which had huge trees and good greenery. 

After reporting the situation to our control room, the bodies were picked up and taken for cremation, and CCTV footage and some pics and videos were taken for documentation. 

There is a huge green area right on the opposite side of the elevation side of the building and that is a roosting place for so many birds and ofcourse for Rosy Starlings every winter. 

The building is relatively new and the flock might have mistaken the huge elevation glass front of the building as a gateway through the concrete building and tried to fly out at full throttle, and hit the glass almost simultaneously with a great momentum. 

The initial concussion must have sent almost all the birds in a tizzy and then the succeeding fall did the rest to impart a deadly blow resulting into an instant death. 

Some who didn't get the deadly impact recovered in a short while and flew away. 

We have analyzed this incident with the building management and they have agreed to hand some sort of visual barrier on the glass elevation side, at least till the winter period to prevent such casualty from happening again. 

Videos and photos can be seen on the following Google Photos Album. 

photos videos of Rosy Starling incident