CB BureauIn support of the cause of water conservation, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) flagged off a cycling expedition at the Gateway of India, Mumbai. This expedition is being undertaken by two mountaineers and cyclists, Mohit Tomar and Mitesh Singh, who will cover a total distance of 6,500 km from Mumbai to Ho Chi Minh City (Vung Tau) over a period of 60 days.
The two-member team will travel across six countries – India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam – and three seas – Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and South China Sea. In addition to creating awareness on water scarcity, the cyclists will visit 30 schools along the expedition route and educate approximately 3,000 students on adventure-based leadership education to encourage them to become leaders of tomorrow and change agents who can contribute towards the development of society.
As part of the awareness drive, water will be collected from the three seas and major rivers along the way and distributed to participants including the schools. The cycles have taglines like ‘every drop of water counts’ and ‘adventure is education’. Both Mohit and Mitesh will impart leadership skills and water-conservation tips to students to contribute towards solving the issue of water scarcity.
In response to queries from CB, Rajkumar Bidawatka, head-CSR, SPN, informs that the cyclists share daily updates on the school visits, distance covered, and lessons imparted and learnt by the students. As of 12 February 2020, over 5,000 children and youth across 10 schools and 3 colleges have participated, in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.
This association supports the environment pillar of SPN’s umbrella CSR campaign Ek India Happywala, which promotes a cleaner and greener environment. The initiative focuses on supporting environmental sustainability and creating a positive impact in the ecosystem through conscientious actions.