Run for a cause, on your smartphone

Awarathon, a smartphone app developed by a group of law professionals from Mumbai, aims to use the medium of mobile gaming to create social awareness among children.

Awarathon, a smartphone app developed by a group of law professionals from Mumbai, aims to use the medium of mobile gaming to create social awareness among children.

Gamers can run a virtual marathon on their phone by participating in a number of quizzes. Users first choose a social cause to run for, with animal welfare, sports development, under-privileged children, women’s empowerment and disability all being themes they can represent. By correctly answering questions, users can progress in the event.

The week-long marathon aims at shooting a question bank comprising 3,000 questions to the gamers. With every correct answer, the user moves a step ahead on the marathon track. At the end of the eve, the user farthest from the beginning point will be declared the winner.

The app is the brain child of social initiative Madatt and was conceived by Harshal Shah, Bhargavi Zaveri and Rahul Gatalia. They wanted the time invested by children on gaming apps to be used in a productive way. “We decided to promote social awareness through a medium that kids love and know very well,” said Shah, a lawyer.

Winners will be awarded prizes by NGOs related to their cause. “We are happy to extend our support to this innovative idea,” said Abhimanyu Gehlot, from an NGO. “As an organisation we are constantly looking for ideas to spread social awareness. The Awarathon team gave us a perfect opportunity to do just that.”