In the case of Indian Railway Traffic Service officer Ity Pandey too, the journey of a thousand miles began with that first step. After cautiously stepping into the field of marathon running, close on the heels of her civil servant husband, IRS officer Virendra Ojha, she fell in love with this high endurance sports, and continues engaging in it till this day.
Although after being promoted as DRM of Bhusawal, Maharashtra, in Central Railways, her work responsibilities increased, affecting her running schedule, she is glad that prior to this new posting, she could complete the world’s most challenging ‘Comrades’ run held annually in South Africa, becoming the first in Indian Railways to achieve this feat and also the first woman civil servant in India to become a Comrades finisher.
However, running has taken a backseat for now with the increased load of work weighing her down, but she still hopes to work out a schedule to train for some international runs like the Norway Night run and the Everest Base Camp run.
Every morning, she is in her office at 5 am sharp to streamline the schedules for the day’s passenger and goods trains. Being on call 24×7, she now hopes to work on her running schedules soon, as, in it, she finds great solace.
“Running is my prayer; it’s my therapy,” she says. In the humdrum of everyday work, amidst the noises of passing trains and passengers’ buzz, this high endurance sports brings her peace and sets her spirit free. And, she returns to work with a renewed vigour and a spring in her step.
Watch the full interview to know why she feels sports enhances an officer’s performance at work, and also why she thinks that the first two years in service are very crucial for an IRTS officer.
Here is the link:
