Isha Mumbai volunteers have found an innovative way to make education through Isha Vidhya a possibility for a growing number of rural children: Over 125 determined Isha volunteers are participating in the Mumbai Marathon on Sunday, 18 January to raise funds for Isha Vidhya. Several of them have never run long distances before, but for the good cause, they have been putting in a lot of effort in the last few months to prepare themselves physically and mentally. Most of the runners for Isha Vidhya will take part in the challenging 21km half-marathon.

Their efforts are supported by corporate sponsors for T-shirts, caps and other material, generous individual and company donors as well as friends and families of meditators, both from India and abroad.

Those willing to contribute for the marathon have also shown great interest in another alternative fundraising scheme by Isha Vidhya, the Skip-a-Meal initiative where by forgoing a meal every Wednesday and donating the saved amount to Isha Vidhya, one can give a rural child a brighter future.

Scores of volunteers from Mumbai are expected to cheer the runners on 18 January when two to three hundred thousand Mumbaiites are expected to witness the Mumbai Marathon, Asia’s largest marathon with over 35,000 participants from India and around the world.

Isha Vidhya has created a Mumbai Marathon micro-website with more information on the event, the runners and also offers an option to donate online.