The man who provided free lemonade to runners in South Mumbai won hearts – this is his story

A man from Mumbai’s Peddar Road has been quietly keeping runners hydrated with homemade lemon water for over a decade. His efforts were recently appreciated on social media when Tata Mumbai Marathon shared a video about him. The reel has since gone viral and garnered a lot of attention online. The video begins with a clip from another vlogger, Piyush Gadda, who introduces us to a “mysterious man” helping other runners in South Mumbai. He explains that this person keeps free lemonade for all runners at a place on Peddar Road. Piyush doesn’t know who this man is and asks people to share his name in the comments if so. He mentioned that this drink is very refreshing and seems to take away one’s fatigue.

Organizers of the Tata Mumbai Marathon managed to trace the man, who is now being called the “Lemonade Hero of Peddar Road”. His name is Rajesh Shah. In the video, he himself shares the story of how he started this simple yet highly commendable initiative for fellow runners. Rajesh started by clarifying that it was not just his efforts behind this venture but the efforts of others as well. He explains that he lives on Peddar Road and realized that it was a good midpoint to keep water for himself on the marathon route (which starts from Nariman Point). Later he also started keeping some lemonade bottles for his runner friends.

He credits other people in the video for helping him since the beginning of the project several years ago. One of them, Sanjay, makes lemonade at home. The drinks are transferred into bottles, which are refrigerated before being taken out to the runners. He and Rajesh coordinate regarding the number of bottles to be kept, to ensure that people do not miss the bottles. Rajesh also revealed that in recent times he goes to keep bottles especially for early runners around 5.15 am, despite not being ready to race. He feels responsible for providing this freshness because he feels that runners expect its availability.

Watch the full video below to know more.

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In the comments, many people praised Rajesh and his thoughtful initiative. Many users also thanked him for this. Check out some of the reactions below:

“Thank you Rajesh for your hydration and silent blessings over the years, then unknown, now known. Just the right amount of lemon energizing and chill.”

“A wonderful gesture, God bless him and his team.”

“Wow!!! This is inspiring… such a selfless and kind gesture. Congratulations.”

“What a thoughtful gesture Rajesh ji. Thank you on behalf of the running community. Thank you Piyush for sharing this story with us.”

“Thank you very much for your hydration support over the years.”

“Just this post has refreshed my mind and faith in humanity!! When life gives you lemons, they should be used for Limbu Paani for all.”

“Wow!! This is the first time I’m seeing something like this! This is great work!”