Berhampur (Odisha), June 17 (PTI): A sexagenarian green activist has been undertaking a solo 10-km foot march in Berhampur city of Odisha's Ganjam district every day to create awareness about the need for environmental conservation.
The march started on June 7 -- two days after the World Environment Day -- and will continue for at least a month, the academic said.
Every morning, Sudhir Kumar Rout holds the silent march carrying placards espousing the cause of his 'padayatra'.
"The foot march aims to spread awareness among the people to save Mother Earth. It can be possible by massive plantations, saving water bodies from pollution, and getting rid of single-use plastics," Rout said.
Wearing a kurta-pajama and wrapping his head with a towel, the green activist walks alone for the mission in the city, 168 km south of Bhubaneswar.
"Every day, I take different routes. It takes me around two and a half hours to cover the stretch and return before the relaxation period of the lockdown ends at 11 am," he said.
Notwithstanding the COVID-induced lockdown and shutdown, the response from the people has been very good, the green activist claimed.
Even though some of his friends wished to be part of the initiative, Rout said he refused to involve them in this endeavour.
He is the founder of Aryabhatta Foundation, an organisation that works in the field of environment and climate change.
Rout and other members of the Aryabhatta Foundation had planted thousands of trees and turned barren hills into greenery and cleaned the ponds in the silk city over the past decade.
They had also organised marches and bicycle rallies earlier to create awareness among the masses not to pollute ponds by dumping waste generated from traditional rituals.
The organisation had also scattered around 3 lakh seed balls in 12 hills in Ganjam district in the last two years and the survival rate of the plants grown from the seed balls are around 20-30 per cent in the hill areas, the green activist said.
Rout said when youngsters approach him on the streets during the 'padayatra', he displays the placards.
"I think they have realised the cause and are trying to work towards saving the environment and Mother Earth," Rout added.
