Sending a strong message about physical fitness, discipline and resilience, a 10-year-old Class 4 student from a shelter home for underprivileged children in Maharashtra's Latur celebrated his first day of school by running 16 km to reach there.
It also served as a reminder to children to spend more time outdoors rather than being glued to mobile phone screens, representatives of the shelter home said.
Arvind Rathod, who lives at Majha Ghar, run by Manus Pratishthan for underprivileged children, ran 16 km from the shelter home to Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri School, located on Old Ausa Road in Latur, on Monday, the first day of the academic year.
The run was flagged off at 8 am in the presence of citizens, social workers and runners.
Sharad Zare of Manus Pratishthan said the initiative aimed to encourage children to stay away from excessive mobile phone usage and develop an interest in outdoor activities.
"The message is that children should spend more time on playgrounds than on mobile phones.
A 10-year-old child successfully completing a 16-km run demonstrates the importance of physical fitness and regular exercise," he said.
The initiative also sought to promote reading habits among children and encourage a balanced lifestyle that combines sports and education, he added.
Arvind, born in a sugarcane workers' settlement, is part of Majha Ghar's mission to educate children from marginalised communities, including migrant labourers, nomadic groups, and suicide-affected farmers.
The shelter home's culture of freedom with discipline has shaped him into a determined young runner, Zare said.
Locals congratulated the boy and said his achievement reflected the values of self-reliance and self-respect.
They hailed his run as a powerful message of physical fitness, determination and curbing mobile phone use among children.
(With inputs from PTI)