C.M. Paul
Darjeeling – From the Mountain to the Ocean – Run with Roshni is Roshni Rai’s inspiring story, about how she started running marathons and about her 2012 project ‘Run with Roshni’ to support underprivileged but very talented young Gorkha Runners from Darjeeling to run marathons in different cities of India by raising funds.
The autobiography ‘From the Mountain to the Ocean’ is an account of Roshni’s journey from Pedong in Kalimpong to Mumbai, her introduction to marathon and self-realization of identity crises faced by the Indian Gorkha community in the national mainstream.
To clear the misconceptions surrounding the Indian Nepali speaking Gorkha community, Roshni started running marathons at Mumbai and other cities with ‘We are Gorkhas, Proud to be an Indian’ t-shirts.
What started as a fitness interest for Roshni became a passionate mission through ‘Run with Roshni Foundation’ to spread awareness in the national mainstream about the Indian Gorkhas, her autobiography tells.
Rai ran her first marathon during Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2007, in which she severely injured her knee due to the lack of proper training.
Under the guidance of her coach Daniel Vaz she started marathon training from the year 2008.
Since then, she has run more than 40 races, which include 10 km races, half marathons, full marathons, ultra marathons and the Comrades Marathon of 89 km.
Mr Vaz comments about her autobiography saying, ‘The ‘Pedong Express’ delivers this one straight from the heart. Her passion for running and her commitment to the upliftment of the Gorkha community is brought out in her simple, lucid style of writing. An excellent read, till the very end.”
The Run With Roshni Foundation has two objectives – to train youths from the hills to become marathon runners and to spread awareness about Indian Gorkhas among other communities through participation in marathon events.
In every marathon, the Roshni team wears t-shirts with the ‘We are Gorkhas, Proud to be an Indian. Jai Gorkha! Jai Hind!’
Roshni, who holds a Masters in Law, quit her legal staff job with a multi-national company at Mumbai in October 2014 to pen her autobiography.
“It took almost two years to finish the book. I was regularly maintaining a diary of my experiences and the book is a compilation of my experiences. I hope that more people will come to understand the objective behind my foundation after reading the book and come forward in support,” says Roshni.
“Darjeeling has received enough number of her sons with the tricolour on their chest; now she will start receiving her sons with the tricolour on their shoulders. Martyr returns home with the tricolour on their chest, whereas sportsperson return with tricolour on their shoulder…I am
confident that very soon, Gorkha runners will be winning international marathons and win India medals at the Olympics as well. If a Gorkha runner gets an Olympic medal for India, the identity crises faced by the Gorkha community in India will become a history,” writes Roshni in her autobiography.
The 138-paged- book divided into 16 chapters with 6 pages of colour photographs and newspaper clips has a foreword from world record holder ultra-marathoner Tony Mangan from Ireland.
In his foreword, Mangan writes: “Roshni’s most powerful tools are her feet and her pen. She uses them skillfully. These are her most powerful weapons along with weapons of peace, compassion, understanding, and tolerance.”
Published by YouTooCanRun Sports Management Ltd, Mumbai, the book costs Rs. 300.