Milind Soman waves tricolour at Statue of Unity after 8-day run from Mumbai for cause

The recent Independence Day was marked in various ways, but one of the best gestures was from Milind Soman. The actor-fitness enthusiast set out on an 8-day run from Mumbai to Gujarat's Statue of Unity of 416 kilometres to spread a message of unity, health, peace and harmony.  He completed his journey on Sunday and stated that it was not easy.

Milind Soman sends message after completing 8-day run to Statue of Unity

Milind wrote 'touchdown Statue of Unity' after 8 days as he landed at the Statue of Unity, one of the tallest statues in the world as a mark of respect to first Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.  The former supermodel was challenged by the mission and stated that it was 'not easy'. He seemed to head for a much-needed rest as he shared that he would come up with a detailed post on the experience later on.  

On his Instagram stories, netizens had shared the moment when they reached the monument. The 56-year-old could even be seen waving the Indian flag at the venue. 

Milind did not share updates about each day of his run, but had informed that he would run 56 km on day 1 and by day 4, had completed 179 kilometres. Among other updates on one of the days was that he had a breakfast of idlis and gulpoli, highlighting the importance of eating while running.  

He also shared that he had to miss out on a few kms due to flooded roads on day 4 and planned to make up for it on the other days. He promised to also share details about running barefoot, food and more.

About his mission, he had previously written, "This is the first edition of the Unity run on the 75th Anniversary of India's Independence to spread awareness for each citizen of our country to work actively towards peace, unity and harmony. We are not going to achieve this unless we work towards it together.".

He added, "Another thing we need to actively work towards, which we have learnt during this pandemic, is to work towards our own health and fitness, so that we can protect ourselves against any uncertainty or unpredictability that life may bring. This is our responsibility as individual citizens, to take care of our own health and our own fitness, to make India a healthy and fit country. The healthiest and fittest country in the world, Jai Hind".

His wife Ankita Konwar too had accompanied him on the run, though not for the entire distance. She quipped that she had become a 'panda' with brown skin and white circles because of the highway run.