Early Sunday morning in Pasighat, the streets were still wet. The clouds hadn’t quite made up their minds. And yet, at exactly 5:45 am, 209 people showed up at Gandhi Chowk — ready to run.
That kind of turnout, drizzle and all, says something.
The Arunachal Pradesh University (APU) organised a 5.5-kilometre mini marathon on September 13 as part of its ongoing ‘Run for Vande Mataram @ 150’ campaign — a month-long series of events marking a century and a half since the iconic patriotic song was first composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Participants came from across East Siang district, lacing up their shoes before the sun had even fully risen.
APU’s Department of Mass Communication put the event together, not just as a standalone celebration but as a warm-up act for something much bigger — a three-day grand finale slated for October 7 to 9, 2026, backed by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
Arunachal Pradesh BJP president Kaling Moyong flagged off the run from Gandhi Chowk, with the finish line set at the main entrance of the university campus. Speaking to the crowd after the race, Moyong spoke about what Vande Mataram actually meant during India’s independence struggle — the courage it stirred, the freedom fighters who sang it in the face of colonial power. He called the song not just a relic of history but a living force for nation-building. He also nudged the audience toward a bigger economic vision: India as a producer-driven, self-reliant nation. Heavy words for a Sunday morning, but the kind that seem to land differently when you’ve just pushed your body through 5.5 kilometres.
In the men’s category, runners wearing BIB numbers 76, 37 and 91 crossed the finish line in the top three spots. In the women’s category, BIBs 92, 177 and 216 led the pack. Cash prizes for the winners won’t be handed out today — that moment is saved for the grand function on October 7, with e-certificates going to every participant who completed the course.
APU Registrar Narmi Darang took the mic to push a message that felt personal rather than ceremonial: make fitness a daily habit, not a once-a-year photo-op. She also put out a call for participation in the ‘Swachh Nadi, Swachh Bharat’ river cleanliness drive along the Siang, set for September 19 — another chapter in the VM150 story.
The marathon wasn’t run alone. Itanagar-based NGO Trigonometry partnered with APU to make it happen, with members Nun Pertin and Prem Camdir on the ground, pushing young runners to think beyond the finish line — toward fitness, discipline and giving back to their communities.
The celebrations are far from over. Coming up in the weeks ahead: a national seminar on the cultural and historical legacy of Vande Mataram, cultural performances, photography and art exhibitions, the ‘Ek Ped Ek Bharat’ plantation drive, and outreach programmes across East Siang. All of it building toward that October grand finale.
One hundred and fifty years is a long time for a song to stay relevant. But watching over two hundred people wake up before dawn on a rainy Sunday to run through the streets of Pasighat in its name — maybe that’s exactly the answer to why it still does.
