11:00 am / Sunday 20 January 2013 / Mumbai
The London Marathon...The Mumbai Marathon...... well most metropolitan cities across the world now boast of an annual marathon; and claim that many charities raise a lot of funds at these marathons, (though it beats me why anyone can’t just directly donate to the charity of their choice right through the year instead of waiting for these annual events!) – yet I dare to challenge the organisers and the local governments and other supporters of these marathons that these events do create a lot of difficulties for ordinary citizens on the day of the marathon , they do create a net environmental damage (net carbon positive) and many times they do reinforce the divides between the haves and the have-nots.
But I do not just want to stop with my challenge on these premises. I want to also explore as to what innovations can probably negate my charges and ensure that the lofty ideals of getting citizens to undertake a marathon can still be achieved. How does one design a “round-the-year” “individually-logged” and “objectively-certified” series of marathon initiatives that do not call for massive city-wide planning and disturbance, but can meet (and perhaps surpass) all of the goals that the marathon organisers aim to achieve?
It is my intention to use some “thinkertoy” techniques on this problem during the next few days and report back on what alternatives are possible in my next post.
Wishing you a great weekend. Signing off .....
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