To create mass awareness about tiger conservation, the Lions Club along with the Rotary Club has organised a cyclo-walk around Maharashtra, in which participants will cover a distance of 1,200km in 58 days.
Starting on December 14 from Tadoba, the home of tigers in the state, the cyclo-walk will pass through Warore, Nagpur, Akola, Jalgaon, Malegaon, Nashik, Thane before finally coming to a halt in Mumbai on February 10.
The walk will be led by seasoned trekker and outdoor enthusiast Sunil Joshi, who has already received applications from 60 people for the journey.
“When I was in school, we didn’t have environmental studies as a subject. Today, children are not only more aware about these issues but also teach us the difference between right and wrong.
This shows the power of environmental awareness and education in the right communities.
People living in rural areas closest to the forests need to be educated instead of those in distant urban areas,” says Joshi, who in 1985 trekked the length of Norway, spanning 2,800km, to promote reforestation in Nepal and India.
The team will consist of walkers, cyclists, activists, students, wildlife experts and public relations professionals who will organise events at every village and educational institute where they halt.
The events include slideshows, lectures and film screenings for students and people living in the area.
They will also be planting trees at institutes so that students can carry on the activity after they leave.
Be a part of it
Participation and sponsorships are still welcome, and anyone interested can log on to tigercyclowalk.weebly.com .
Although the organisers have been approached by a film school from Canada, they are looking for Indian volunteers to document the walk.
