#LetsWalk, an initiative to promote health and fitness

An invitation to participate in a beach walk to promote health is honestly something I never saw myself agree to doing. #LetsWalk - Beach Walk, the initiative "your health in your hands" to promote health and fitness got me out of bed on September 2nd, that too on a Sunday; the day I refuse to get up early.  I landed up at Juhu Beach and found myself  enjoying a great morning at the beach and even more so because I found myself screaming out in joy. Everywhere I turned, I found a friend was there too and that was truly uplifting and awesome. 

The walk was organised by Moushumi Pal founder of Woodpecker Media, a consulting company catering to conceptualised events, transformational digital marketing strategies and creative brand design and Dr. Bhavi Mody, a postgraduate with over two decades of clinical experience in providing Holistic Healing and Founder and Director at Vrudhi Holistic Health Care. The event had a participation of over 150 health enthusiasts, started with a round of Yoga (me and yoga. Wow! I did that too), was followed by a 2 km walk on the beach. Fun childhood games such as tug-of-war, passing the parcel and thumbs-up that we have all played as children were a part of the event to bring back that magic into their lives.

I love to interview people and talk to them about their initiatives. so it was obvious that I found myself interviewing these wonderful ladies live on face book. Talking to me about the initiative, Moushumi said "We want to touch lives. We want inclusion. What Dr. Bhavi Mody advocates is making things very simple to follow, like eat less, sleep less, breathe well, things we forget in mundane routine of today's life styles we have. Then gradually I started thinking how can we make it more engaging and that's is why we thought of organising the first walk. We wanted everyone from all walks of life to come out in the fresh air. We want to do it at different locations now. First one was a nature walk and this our second one which is the beach walk."

Dr. Bhavi Mody adds, "This initiative is to help you stress on little changes that you can get into your everyday life to make your life more healthy. Mission #StayHealthyStayHappy is what we believe in. We started out in December last year. As Moushumi mentioned, the first walk that happened was a nature walk at Sanjay Gandhi National Park and today we are on the beach. Next who knows where. Maybe the mountains".

The first walk organised by them was on June 3, 2018. It was an educational 2 km walk around Borivali National Park and I must admit  even though I was invited to that one too, I was just too lazy to get out of bed. What I missed was an opportunity to learn about various species of flora and fauna along with the environmentalists there and more importantly an opportunity to click loads of photos (which is my passion).  I am never missing another walk ever again for sure.

At the end of the walk the participants were given refreshments and goody bags. Each one of us had been given a T-shirt too before the walk.  Eminent power women such as Pinky Rajgharhia (Mrs Universe Business lady 2017, Mrs Asia 2017, Mrs Fitness 2016, Social Activist), Gehna Mehra (Writer & Entrepreneur), Nabomita Mazumdar (Businesswoman  and Speaker for Future of Work, HR, Startup, Women and Business, Social media and Technology), Nidhika Bahl (Celebrity Life Coach), Savneet Kaur  (Vice Chair,  ALL) and Daulatbi Khan (Acid Survivors Saahas Foundation) participated in the walk to support the initiative.

I must admit that I am not much of a health freak,  but the walk did not help me to realise the value of being outdoors. I realised that morning, that I had also bonded and shared so much more with my friends there and even though I could not walk for long (I have painful knees, you see), it was lovely to be out breathing in the fresh air. A big thank you to Moushumi for inviting me to join and cheers to you and your team mates, Ridhi Doshi and Sonu Bajaj for a well organised event.  

I can happily say that the event was not just  #LetsWalk but a lovely #FriendshipWalk for me and that I am looking forward to the next one too.

Connect on FB page for joining the next walk: 

www.facebook.com/groups/vrudhihwc

Yes, I am a change agent

Everyone knows that I am a big entertainment buff, be it commercial cinema, theater or even a film festival showcasing short films. Hence it was not surprising that I once again this year requested my friend, Prerana, at the YES FOUNDATION to allow me to be there at their award ceremony celebrations.

Before I begin to share the heart warming experience I had, let me tell you what it is all about. YES, I am the Change is a social program of YES FOUNDATION which was launched in 2013. The initiative, which I must applaud, brings together the youth of our country to share social change that they have witnessed through the medium of short films. Everyone dreams of making films and it is this platform that spring boards the dreams of many. The initiative invites people from all walks of life to a challenge where the subject is shared 6 am in the morning and a deadline of 101-Hour begins to make your film and submit it.  Amateurs and film makers participate by making social cause films of up to 3 minutes duration and the wait for the winners begins. This year over 5 lakh entries were received by the YES FOUNDATION making it the largest movement of showcasing social causes indirectly leading to an unexplainable change in the film makers themselves turning them into change agents for society. There were multiple categories in the challenge such as the Corporate challenge, the Not-for-Profit, Student and the Open Categories making it the world’s largest social cause movement.  What further fascinated me was that all the films submitted are available for use of Not-for-Profit NGOs and associations who are unable to make films themselves to use free of cost.

The contest had ended and then came the day of the awards ceremony that bustled with life at the Nehru Centre on January 29^th where I sat looking at the smiling youth all around me. Chatting with them I realised that it had not just been about making a film and submitting it to the jury. It was now about the journey that they traversed to another world and emerging a better human being that had made them happier. The evening mood was set by an interesting panel discussion titled “Role of mindset transformation in nation building” with Meghana Gulzaar, Vikas Bahl, Jacco Cillers, Radha Kapoor and moderated by Namita Vikas. Interesting inputs from the panellists on how important it is for the media and film makers to be involved and even more on being responsible in using their power medium was an interesting take. Chief Guest Vidya Balan enthralled the audience with her thoughts on the event and referring to her experience as brand ambassador for the sanitation campaign. Director Umesh Shukla and other dignatories added charm by gracing the event.  For me a personal moment of pride was listening to my friend Prerana Langa, CEO of YES FOUNDATION taking on stage and leading her team to a beautiful culmination of a social change film making contest so lovely and well organized. 

However, that was just the end only of Day 1 as it was followed by the film festival over the next two days at the Indian School of Design and Innovation conference hall that showcased the best films of the contest.  Sadly I missed the first day due to prior commitments but  Sunday  was one of learning with interactive discussions.  Shalabh Sahai, Co-Founder and Director of iVolunteer and Tom Alter, Actor shared their thoughts and experiences in the volunteering and cinema space. It was an interesting debate with Cyrus Dastur, the founder of Shamiana Arts with Tom Alter, who suggested using real people for social awareness and documentary films; as he explained how the stance and the acting poweress stands true when you bring true to life heroes on screen to perform instead of actors.  It was indeed interesting, and a big thanks to the foundation for giving an opportunity to me and the young film makers to get up close, as it is not often one gets opportunities to interact closely with people of such caliber.

The same day, we were introduced to two film makers, Kuljeet Chaudhary and Leena Kejriwal, who last year had participated in the film challenge, which had changed their lives making them true agents of change.  Kuljeet Chaudhary, who won the last year’s Popular Choice Award for his film “Probably Paradise”, spoke about his amazing story from a night in Diwali when he and his friends decided to save animals from abuse starting with a cow whose tail was tied to fire crackers leading onto him creating a help forum on face book for animal abuse. When he was asked, what is the one thing an individual can do to help, he put it so simply and humbly “feed glucose biscuits to stray dogs”. On the other hand, here was Leena Kejriwal, an avid photographer and artist whose film became a thought process that has today started a movement she calls “MISSING”.  MISSING is an art project that brings issues of female trafficking onto our walls of public spaces with a black stencil of a girl made from iron sheets, forged and painted pitch black. The stark black stencil is hopeful of creating awareness about the millions of young girls and women who disappear from their homes and are pushed into the flesh trade in India. Both these amazing human beings are on face book.  I certainly made it a point to connect with them and am seriously contemplating how to get that stencil on a wall soon, after all I am a woman myself.

The entire day I spent there, I must have seen over twenty or more awesome films such as ‘The Stand-up Comedian’ on parent care, ‘Dua’ about elderly care, ‘Ehsaas’ about a rickshawalla who teaches act of kindness, ‘Muted’ about beggars stuck in silence forever, ‘Boxes’ about learning beyond education and many more.  It was indeed a Sunday well spent. Me, not a film maker and just an ordinary person never felt more involved and touched by the films that showcased so many causes that we never can even imagine.  It got me thinking as to how much do I contribute to society. Well, yes I do in my own small little way by volunteering with friends doing social work, but this movement got me thinking.  Films are such a powerful medium to spread the magic word and so I decided that I am going to be a change maker of sorts myself. I have started doing my bit by sharing one film every two or three days on my face book page and if I touch even ten friends a day, I think I have succeeded in creating a small little twinge in a heart somewhere…. And I am sure that somewhere, sometime, someplace that heart I touched will reach out to another and thereon another and we will be on our way to a better happier place.

My friends, the change makers..giving hope!!

Opening newspaper in the morning is getting scarier by the day for most. Greed, protests, intolerance and acts of hatred, abetment to suicide, murder, molestation, missing paintings, confusing justice!  Forget natural calamity- that’s something we can’t do much about but just look at negative news, one after another, about insensitive humans being thrown at us. It's a very disturbing trend. Some of these headlines in the social space make you nauseous and wonder what’s happening to society and people around us.

Is there no good news to share anymore at all? Is there no Hope?  Things seem to be falling apart in everything around us. A few days back, I get a whats-app message that says “If you take into consideration all the signs, there is no mistaking that we are living our last days and its the end of time. Surrender to the Lord.".. but where is the Lord. I thought he resided in my heart- so what next? I hate negativity and often wonder why people share messages of doom instead of hope.

So I decided, I am going to take you on a walk into the realm of hope as there is a lot of it still out there. It is in fact, I realised, right next to me in my own little world. Call them by any fancy name - activists, leaders or change makers but for me they are just my friends who give selflessness and hope a whole new meaning altogether. Let me introduce you to some of my very own awesome change makers, I call friends.

RJ Anirudh Chawla, Big FM, who saved a life by landing up at a suicidal listener’s home after receiving a call and feeling uneasy about it. Prerana Langa, Yes Foundation, spreading the hope of social change and smiles through 'Yes I am the Change' films. Shivani Khetan who started Expresso Café with a simple thought and simple beginning of getting people to share their life experiences over a cup of coffee and coming forward to inspire others. 

Then there is my unassuming shy friend Dipesh Tank who found a woman lying covered in filth with burn injuries and helped her get back to a life of dignity. He undertakes school book drive for a village and runs to the rescue of citizens in need of help at the drop of a hat.  The dedicated Sailesh Mishra with his Silver Innings Foundation and a vision is to increase the involvement of senior citizens and enhance their dignity in the community apart from working relentlessly in the field of Dementia and Alzheimer. 

Then there is Indrani Ray (and a bit of me, too) of Arunima women’s forum to interact and exchange thoughts on issues concerning women in the Lokhandwala Complex area; Remila Puravankara, Taksheel Foundation, working to educate slum children and adults  in the age group of 5yrs to 40yrs coming from neighbouring areas of Lokhandwala Complex; Ramaa Subramaniam creator of Silver Innings Helpline, first of its kind one-stop portal for seniors & Pride Club;  Anita & Anand Gurnani of '50young' bringing new adventures and learning into lives of the 50+, Raheen JJ of NGO ‘Open your Arms' healing psycho-social problems faced by children; Bindu Bhonsle working for development of the less fortunate and in need; Sona Kumar of Sona Sarovar Trust improving the living condition in the rural areas through water conservation, employment, education, health, awareness; Sapna Bhavnani involved in women empowerment projects and working for the upliftment of women and children. 

There are so many more of my friends working for education, environment, girl child, etc. In fact in every field that we begin to think is eroding and losing hope. I can go on and on taking their names. Thankfully, even though the morning paper makes me wonder each day, I am really never depressed at all and neither have I lost hope at all because I am personally already walking the path with most of them  and blessed to be around them.  After all it is up to us, isn't it, to go out there and make good things happen around us. 

Besides, when push comes to shove and things seem dark, I know for sure that  there is loads of goodness in all of us and a wonderful group of my friends out there, happy to do the good deed. I know there is Hope and true caring people that deserve a big salute.

Be the beacon of light in someone's darkness....

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile