09/06/2020
Rahul Jadhav
After every storm, there is a beautiful day. Among every evil, there is a God waiting to be heard.
Such is the story of a Gangster turned Marathon Runner/De-Addiction counselor, Mr. Rahul Ramakant Jadhav aka Bhiku.
This astoundingly inspiring tale begins after 4 years in Arthur road jail where Mr. Jadhav was held for running a gang of criminals and having a notorious lifestyle of a Hitman. After being released in the year 2011, Mr. Jadhav went to his hometown in Dombivli in the hope of seeing his family again. However, to his surprise, he was rejected by his parents who claimed that unless he becomes a contributing member of society, he will not be accepted. Mr. Jadhav was immediately crushed by the sad reality of his existence and started looking for a job, which turned out to be extremely impossible with his gang still active, the police calling him for routine enquiries and companies demanding a character certificate which wasn’t really in his favor.
The series of misfortune events led him down on a path of drug abuse and mental breakdown, harming himself and others around him. Despite these tribulations, Mr. Jadhav lifted himself and took to seek out medical attention from a counselor in Thane, where he was detoxified and was successful in seeing things more clearly. The counselor suggested that he work with the Anita Awachat Foundation; an NGO in Pune under Dr. Anil Awachat who facilitated the Muktangan Rehabilitation Centre. From 2013 to 2016, he spent his days housekeeping for people going through rehab, working as a receptionist, nursing, and helping in every in noble cause possible.
This is where Mr. Jadhav heard about an upcoming marathon in Pune. The thought of running away from the cops still haunted him, but that was all he was good at. He decided to overcome his nightmares by participating in the run, not knowing what the universe had in store for him.
He conquered his first Marathon of 10kms in 55 minutes and was instantly uplifted by the sense of freedom that the act of running gave him.
Post this, he came back to Mumbai and acquired a job in Morde Foods Pvt Ltd. at Byculla. Here, to make time for his practice, Mr. Jadhav would commute by train till Mumbra and then run till Dombivli every day. Upon hearing this, the owner of his company offered him a house at Marine Drive where he further honed his running skills.
Mr. Jadhav went on to continue his new-found passion by participating in the Mumbai Marathon; running from CST to Dombivli, a stretch of about 63 kms, in 5 hours and 50 minutes. In the year 2019, he completed the DeAddiction Ultra Run organized by Muktangan Rehabilitation Centre and sponsored by Morde Foods, from Mumbai (Gateway of India) to Delhi (India Gate) within a span of 20 days, covering a distance of 1457 kms.
Mr. Jadhav has completed around 22 runs till date and is now appreciated by the police for his sheer will and dedication. He married his wife “Shashi”, who works at the Muktangan Rehabilitation Centre. The irony of Mr. Jadhav’s life is that his wife’s family works for the Police Force and his running away from them has made him who he is.
Looking back, Rahul Jadhav reminisces going from not being accepted by anyone to being praised and celebrated for his determination of turning himself into a functioning citizen and a De-Addiction Counsellor. He now helps others quit their drugs and alcohol addiction and has a peaceful life in Pune, away from the past and all the madness. ‘Gangster on the run’ is a book being written by Puja Changoiwala, depicting Mr. Jadhav’s life and his journey in detail.
