00:00Like you rightly said that people who come from all over the country and also joining the effort of the locals in Tawang and in Arunachal Pradesh, the numbers are huge today.
00:15Now it is unprecedented of sorts that the high altitude marathon, which is approximately 10,000 feet and the degree of difficulty is very high,
00:26so we have representation for all 27 states as also some friendly foreign countries.
00:56I am told, I am not very sure, I haven't met, I am told that there were runners who were coming in from Kenya also,
01:03and like last year we had people coming in from Tanzania who had in fact taken some of the prizes as well.
01:10So my message to all the people who have come here and all those who have not been able to make it this year is that this is a celebration of great human spirit.
01:23Tawang International Marathon is a celebration of challenges.
01:29It is a celebration of human spirit which has got no expiry.
01:34No matter what is your age, be it 5 years, 10 years or 76 years, you will see for yourself.
01:40There are so many very, very senior veterans also who are participating today.
01:45My message is, come to Tawang, be part of this celebration and make a history for yourself.
01:52Something which is unique and some unparalleled within the country.
01:56See, army has been since a very long time associated with promotion of sports and physical fitness in the country.
02:05And it is not only something which is done by the Indian Army and the other forces also, like the Navy, the EFOS, as also the Central Armed Police Forces.
02:17Forces by nature are supposed to be maintaining themselves in a high state of physical fitness.
02:22We want to promote this as a virtue, as a national virtue, that everybody needs to strive hard to keep himself physically fit,
02:29to be able to take his own job as also the aspect of nation building forward.
02:34Now, why Tawang?
02:36Tawang is extremely special to the country, to the people of Arunachal Pradesh, to the Indian Army, to us in 4 Corps, the Gajraj Corps.
02:46It is an extremely, extremely important place for various reasons.
02:51You have historical reasons.
02:53You have the aspects of strategic significance that is associated with Tawang.
02:58The proximity to the borders, our northern borders, as you are aware, the border, as the crow flies from this area, is just about 15 kilometers.
03:09So, therefore, this is a very, very strategically important place.
03:12And we want to bring in more and more people to be able to come and experience Tawang and the beauty that it holds in this entire landscape of Arunachal Pradesh.
03:23So, our efforts towards Tawang have not been new.
03:27These efforts and the bonding that the Indian Army shares with the people, with the Monpa community of Tawang,
03:34and with the population of Tawang in general, is exceptional.
03:38And this is just a manifestation of that, you know, that commitment that the Indian Army has with the people of Tawang,
03:44that brings us into holding such kind of big events in Tawang.
04:18And this can kind of feel the intensity and the energy behind this.
04:24The second thing is this event's popularity.
04:26It is unprecedented that three years of a humble beginning of a project in such a far-flung area of the country as Arunachal Pradesh and Tawang
04:37can hit the global recognition.
04:41Today, Tawang International Marathon is a long-distance running and marathon map map map map map map map map map map map map map map map.
04:49So, this is why Tawang important is important.
04:57It is important to see the challenges that are possible in such a robust future.
05:01And the world of marathoners are also the quality of a quality.
05:07They don't start the work.
05:09It keeps us working.
05:10It keeps us working to finish.
05:12So, Because Tawang is important today.
05:15And this is the number three addition, the most important part of the generation that is.
05:18I said, the investment of the country today in physical fitness, fit India and other ways that the country has taken the outcome, the result of our achievements at the global level, our athletes, they are getting to see.
05:39And in this way, the country is doing well, very well.
05:43The country is doing well and the push that has been given by the government at various stages, whether it is center or in the states.
05:52In this way, the armed forces contribution to the country is in terms of giving their little push that they can because of their presence and outreach in the entire country is phenomenal.
06:03Now, I don't say that only the Indian Army and the Indian Army of the country, whether they are central forces, whether they are armed forces, their contribution is great.
06:17In so far as participation and results is concerned, you know for yourself right from those, you know, a very very long time.
06:23We've had Milka Singh, we've had Dilip Turki, we've had so many accomplished runners and athletes and sportsmen who have contributed towards the national effort.
06:34Hali mein, Lieutenant Colonel Honorary Neeraj Chopra, he's been given the honorary rank of a Lieutenant Colonel in the TA by none less than our Honorable Raksha Mantri.
06:48Just four days, but, so this way that the Proch Saha has given us, we've got Abhinash Sable in the 3,000 meters steeplechase, South Korea, gold medal, and this story is not finished.
07:01This story is now started to write, now we're going to where to reach this effort, this is anybody's imagination.
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