Social media can change someone’s life for the better or the worse. But 19-year-old Pradeep Mehra’s life completely took a turn after the army aspirant got viral for running on the street with a backpack after his shift ended at midnight.
For context, a video was shared by National award-winning filmmaker Vinod Kapri which showed a young man running on the streets of Noida at midnight. The filmmaker asked the boy if he wanted a lift. But he refused. He said that he is running deliberately and does so every day after work because he doesn’t get the time to train for the Indian army.
After the video of this conversation was posted on social media, Pradeep became a viral sensation. He had told Kapri that he needed to do household chores after work. That he lives with his elder brother in the city. Their parents are in Almora, Uttarakhand. Their mother is being treated at a hospital.
His life struggles struck a chord with the people on the internet who offered to help him with his woes. Mega retail brand, Shopper’s Stop took that initiative and gave a check of Rs 2.5 lakh to Pradeep for his mother’s treatment and to pursue his dreams.
Vinod Kapri tweeted about the same. “Midnight runner Pradeep Mehra is overwhelmed with all the love and support,” Kapri tweeted on March 30. “Shopper’s Stop gave a cheque of Rs 2.5 lakh to him for his mother’s treatment and pursue his dreams. God bless you guys.”
Pradeep’s story captivated a lot of attention. He even caught Lt Gen Satish Dua’s attention who said he’s doing his bit to help train Pradeep to get recruited into the Indian Army. “His Josh is commendable, and to help him pass the recruitment tests on his merit, I’ve interacted with Colonel of KUMAON Regiment, Lt Gen Rana Kalita, the Eastern Army Commander. He is doing the needful to train the boy for recruitment into his Regiment. Jai Hind,” he posted on social media.
Not just that, Pradeep even caught the attention of international media. He told American media house NPR that he never expected to receive so much attention.
Even after all the attention, Pradeep had been very humble. He asked media outlets to give him some space so that he can focus on his goals and doesn’t lose sight of what he wanted in life.
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