More than 500 people took part in the ‘Go Heritage Run’ organised in The Nilgiris district on Sunday to create awareness on the importance of heritage sites.
The participants included more than 200 people from districts such as Coimbatore, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and nearly 100 school students, according to Ajay Reddy of ‘Go Unesco’ organisation, which organised the run.
People from all age groups took part in the run, which was flagged off by nuclear scientist M.R. Srinivasan, in the presence of Srinivas Reddy, Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
The run route took the participants across a historic mountain railway, a spectacular valley and the 158-year-old Lawrence School. The objective was to admire the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, which has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ooty’s natural beauty
“Our motive is to make these runs a fun event and not a competition. We had invited families, travel enthusiasts and not just race runners to be part of the run. We want to sensitise tourists to the importance of the heritage structures in and around Ooty,” adds Mr. Ajay Reddy.
There are many historical structures such as Saint Stephen’s Church, the district court and the Nilgiri Library in Ooty.
Events such as Go Heritage Run will play a vital role in underscoring the historic significance of Ooty, says Geetha Srinivasan, convener, The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) -Nilgiris Chapter.
Shobana Chandrasekar, founder, Make Ooty Beautiful (MOB) Project, says that with Ooty being a popular tourist destination, there is a lot of garbage on the streets, in the forests, streams and drains.
The Heritage Run is among the many projects that will help educate and spread awareness among the people about the need to preserve the natural and historical beauty of Ooty.
The run was aimed at sensitising tourists to the importance of the heritage structures in and around Ooty
