Running home from MacDonald’s

Day 22 The colours of a night time run through Delhi streets that has become an inspiration…

I came across this in the Indian news yesterday, a video of a young man running through the streets of Delhi at midnight, caught on video by a local filmmaker, Vinod Kapri. Vinod drives alongside and starts filming him while asking what he is doing. The man never stops running, but smilingly tells Vinod that he is running home from his job at MacDonald’s. He wants to join the Indian army and in order to get fit, he needs to run ten kilometres (over six miles) home after work every night. He has no other free time to get fit as he works all day. Vinod asks if he can give him a lift home, but he politely declines because this is part of his training.

English subtitles as they are talking in Hindi

Vinod then offers to take him out for dinner, but Pradeep replies that he needs to go home and cook for his brother. When asked why his brother can’t cook for himself he replies that he works a nightshift so won’t be home till morning.

His unassuming manner and quiet determination have obviously caught the attention of many. The video was posted to social media and has apparently had over 3 million views already. I have walked the streets of Delhi and this clip brought home to me the smells, the sounds and the pollution of that vast overcrowded city.

I know the shifts he works are probably ten to twelve hours or more. I know he probably lives in substandard accommodation and doesn’t get paid enough. I know there are so many more like him throughout his country and the rest of the world.

SOL22