Even as citizens slept peacefully, four soldiers were killed in a militant attack on an Army base in Jammu & Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Thursday, giving credence to the lines: ‘For our tomorrow they gave their today.’ Events like Soldierathon, to be held across India on Sunday, the day before I-Day, can make these casualties more than statistics evincing sympathy. It can bring defence personnel and citizens closer, for a better understanding of the magnitude of the loss and the subsequent struggles their equally brave families undergo.

In Mumbai, Soldierathon will be held at 15 locations in the city, including Parel, Chowpatty, Andheri, Dadar and Dombivli, and 115 locations across India. The event is being held under the movement with the self-explanatory name, ‘Fitistan or Ek Fit Bharat’. Pan-India, 13,138 participants have registered to run for 7.5 km, or walk or cycle for 75 minutes. The number 75 is for the 75 years since India's Independence. Personnel of the Army, the Air Force, the Navy will run along with the citizens, fostering a spirit of oneness.