Police helping hand for hill runner Rs 7,500 a month for Darjeeling’s Preity Rai

Preity Rai with Nabendu Sarkar, the inspector in charge of Kurseong police station, at her home in Dilaram(Sourced by the correspondent)

Vivek Chhetri, TT, 7.02.20, Darjeeling: Darjeeling police have decided to provide a “special monthly honorarium” of Rs 7,500 to hill runner Preity Rai, who has outpaced financial hardship and a kidney ailment to put up a trailblazing show in marathons.

The Telegraph had on January 30 highlighted the struggles of Preity, who recently won the Tata Mumbai Marathon in the 18-24 women’s category on January 19.

“After coming to know about the struggles of Preity Rai, Darjeeling police decided to provide a special monthly honorarium of Rs 7,500 to her so that she can concentrate on her running,” said Amarnath K, the Darjeeling police superintendent said.

A team of Darjeeling police personnel has visited Preity at her home in Dilaram, about 20km from Darjeeling town.

Preity was unaware of the police’s promised help when contacted on Thursday. “IC Sir and other officials had visited me a few days ago. Today, too, I was called to the police station where they handed over a pair of running shoes as they had promised earlier,” said Priety.

The medals won by Preity in marathons adorn her house(Sourced by the correspondent)

Asked if she had been told about the monthly honorarium, Preity said: “No, IC Sir only told me to check my bank account. I had no inkling about such a help. This amount will be a huge help to me and my family.”

Preity is the sole breadwinner of her family as her father Saran Rai, who was a daily labourer, cannot work because of an injury that has rendered his left hand immobile.

Preity runs the family by selling cosmetics and blankets in the neighbourhood and through the cash award she receives on winning marathons.

The 22-year-old runner, who started running in 2017, has so far participated in more than 20 marathons, winning most of them. For her trip to Mumbai for the Tata marathon, Preity had pooled in the cash awards she had received on winning the Darjeeling Hill Marathon, which is organised by Darjeeling police in association with The Telegraph, and the Mirik Marathon.

Preity is not sure whether she has fully recovered from the kidney ailment as she does not have enough money to visit a specialist.

Doctors had last year advised Preity not to run for “two to three years” but she said: “If I don’t run, how will I manage my family?”

Preity is coached by Subarna Subba, who often sends her eggs and milk.