Seven hundred and fifty people from different age groups clad in sports t-shirts, trousers and shoes walked 10 km on Monday, October 28, at the first Sikh Walk event organised in Auckland.

The Walk started from Shri Dashmesh Darbar Gurudwara in Papatoetoe at 11 a.m. through Great South Road to Gurudwara Nanaksar Sahib Manurewa ending around 3 p.m. at Shri Kalgidhar Saheb Gurudwara in Takanini.

The purpose of the Walk was to create awareness about health benefits around walking that is one of the most basic forms of exercise that is required to have a healthy body and mind.

“Walking is vital for everyone, irrespective of people’s age, lifestyle and gender and ethnicity and our walk was centered around creating awareness especially for our Kiwi Indian community,” Jaspreet Singh, one of the organisers of the event said.

More than 25 volunteers supported the event by managing the parade of walkers through the footpaths and roads clearing the traffic so that the Walk went smooth.

“Our volunteers walked ahead and with the parade of walkers clearing traffic, helping them with water, fruits, juice on the way- and also helped seniors who wanted to take a break and rest for a while before proceeding towards their destination in Takanini,” Mr Singh added.

“Our community members eat rich food, and most of our members are prone to or are already suffering from diabetes, heart ailments, etc. and walking is one of the best exercises to keep the body healthy if done regularly.

“We wanted to promote walking and children from age two to seniors till the age of 85 participated in the walk. And since the walk event was on holiday it was the best way to engage the community and create awareness directly on a mass level,” Mr Singh told The Indian Weekender.

The participants were offered langar on the way, at Manurewa Gurudwara and Takanini temple and given certificates for their efforts.

“We expected a good crowd, but to see 750 people participate in the walk that was simply overwhelming and a huge success,” Mr Singh said.