District 3241B takes its anti-drug campaign to the streets of Chennai
Before sunrise on March 8, 2026, the area around Napier Bridge was already full. More than three thousand women had turned up — in matching pink T-shirts, race bibs pinned on, ready to walk. Among them was a woman who had come in a wheelchair — one participant among thousands, sharing the same route and purpose. With the Indian flag carried aloft somewhere behind her, the scene captured something the speeches and pledges alone could not. It reflected the spirit of a morning that drew women from across the city into a shared public statement.
The Women’s Day Walkathon 2026 was the centrepiece of ‘Say No to Drugs, Yes to Life’, a year-long signature project of District 3241B, led by District Governor S. Murugan. District Chairperson Manivannan and his team spent the year conducting awareness programs in schools, colleges and public forums, educating young people about the risks of substance abuse, helping them recognise and resist peer pressure, and encouraging families and communities to engage with the issue.
The walkathon brought that message onto the streets. As more than three thousand women moved together through Chennai’s early-morning roads, the campaign took on a visibility that few awareness programs achieve. Their participation underscored an important point: preventing substance abuse is not solely the responsibility of institutions or authorities. It requires the involvement of entire communities.
Drug abuse among young people is not a challenge that yields to a single campaign or a single year of effort. Recognising that reality, District 3241B has spent twelve months building awareness one school, one college, and one community at a time.
The walkathon was not a conclusion but a milestone in a larger effort — reflecting a year of sustained outreach and signalling the district’s commitment to continue the work in the years ahead.
