Bengaluru : Over thousands of people, young and old, showed their love for the city by taking part in the 2^nd edition of Accelerate 2K18 organized by CMR NPS. The run had 3 categories – 2Kms, 5Kms and 10Kms. The runs were flagged off by Ms Roopika, Kannada Actress, who was also the Chief Guest of the event. Shri K.C. Ramamurthy, IPS, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha & Chairman, CMR Group of Institutions was also present there to support the cause and encourage the runners.

‘Accelerate 2K18’ was conducted by CMR NPS students of Grade 11 as a fundraiser event to set up ‘Better Bangalore Club’, which is an initiative of the students to clean the city and bring back its former glory. All proceeds raised from this initiative will go towards identifying spots (50,000 square feet of area) which requires cleaning.  A part of the proceeds will also be used to plant 5,000 saplings across the city. The students started with spreading the message of the initiative in the surrounding areas including homes and retail shops. Paints, brushes, strainers, brooms, garbage bags etc. were purchased from the contribution pooled in by the students, who cleaned the spot themselves. The students have beautified several spots since the drive began in 2016 and are aiming to complete more over the course of next year.

Spot-fixing has also been introduced to all the students of CMR NPS as part of the social learning programme and has been included in the curriculum. As part of this initiative, the students are assigned an identified spot on a weekly basis to carry out the ‘cleaning drive’. The students completed their most recent ‘spot fixing’ at Frazer Town. The aim is to create awareness among citizens to promote a ‘Cleaner’ and ‘Greener’ Bengaluru.

Speaking at the event, Kannada Actress, Ms Roopika, who is also the Chief Guest, said, “I want to thank and extend my appreciation to all the participants and students of CMR NPS for their relentless effort for a noble cause. This event reaffirms our belief that if we all join our hands together, we can restore Bengaluru to its pristine glory.”

The event was sponsored by HealthifyMe, Living Walls, Inhouse Burger, Indian Institute of Hardware Technology, Acer, Rashi Diagnostics, North Bangalore Hospital and Bangalore Orthopaedic And Surgical Hospital (BOSH).

WINNERS of the Marathon Accelerate 2K18:

10 Kms Run
Rank	Name
1st	Chandan Kumar
2nd	Sanjeeth B
3rd	Chandru
5 Kms Run
1st	Maniannar
2nd	Albert S
3rd	Srikanth
2 Kms Run
1st	Adwaith
2nd	Sailesh
3rd	Gowtham S