ZEEL joins hands with Isha Foundation for 'Rally For Rivers', a cause to revive the dying rivers

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) announced its support for ‘Rally For Rivers’, a nationwide awareness campaign launched by Isha Foundation to save Indian rivers, in consultation and collaboration with the Ministry of Environment.

Conceived by Sadhguru, the Foundation will rally from Coimbatore to Delhi, covering 13 states and 21 major cities, with Sadhguru himself driving the entire stretch of 6,560 km across India. As a part of the campaign, Zee will use the power and reach of its platforms to help drive awareness among all sections of society and the government, and encourage people to commit to the cause.

Punit Goenka

Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEEL, said, “Depleting rivers are no longer an environmental issue that can be ignored. The cause to revive our rivers is now a national agenda. As a responsible broadcaster, we want to use the breadth of our platforms, to bring this cause to people’s attention and encourage them to actively join the movement. We cannot lay more emphasis on the fact that as citizens, we must concentrate our efforts and come out in full support so that Isha Foundation can present the River Rejuvenation Policy to the Government of India. We have full faith in the Government to implement the recommended actions, based on scientific facts.”

Sadhguru, Founder, Isha Foundation, says, “In just one generation, our perennial rivers are turning seasonal. Many smaller rivers have already vanished. If we do not act now to reverse this, the legacy we hand over to the next generation will be one of conflict and deprivation. This is not a protest. This is not an agitation. This is a people’s campaign to raise awareness that our rivers are depleting. Everyone who consumes water must Rally for Rivers.”

Sunil Buch

Sunil Buch, Head, Corporate Brand & Communications, ZEEL, further said, “In India, rivers hold a special cultural relevance and are seen as more than just a water body. Our civilisation has developed on the banks of these rivers, and it is these rivers themselves which are now undergoing a drastic change. The time has now arrived where all citizens need to pledge their vital support to the cause of replenishing them.

“At Zee, our call-to-action campaign centres around two films which will run across all our platforms, reaching out to masses across the nation and driving home the message of ‘Nadi Bahegi, Zindagi Rahegi’. In the first film, our aim is to tap into people’s emotions and remind them that in our country, children are the cynosure of our eyes. We do everything for our children, so why not pick up our phones for their sake and give a missed call towards this cause. The second film, on the other hand, reiterates the harsh reality that if we do not take immediate action, the depletion of our rivers could threaten the very existence of life on this planet.”

India has essentially grown along the banks of major rivers. Our ancient civilisations were born along the waters, and they perished when the rivers shifted course. In the last few decades, due to the pressures of population and development, our perennial rivers are becoming seasonal. Many of the smaller rivers have already vanished. According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Ganga and Indus are two of the world’s most endangered rivers. The Narmada, Krishna and Kaveri do not reach the sea for four months of the year and water levels in almost every major river have declined severely.

Isha Foundation has proposed a comprehensive river rejuvenation plan to reverse this decline and revive our rivers. With over a decade of experience in matters related to the environment and sustainability, Isha Foundation offers a core solution to stabilise and revitalise our rivers. It involves creating and maintaining a tree cover for a minimum of one kilometre on either side of the entire river length and half a kilometre for tributaries. The benefits of tree planting have been indisputably demonstrated by Project GreenHands.

The aim of ‘Rally for Rivers’ is to garner massive public support and momentum for the Government to implement a positive river policy. To submit a policy recommendation to the Central Government, the support of the people is very vital. For a large environmental movement throughout the country like this, a minimum of 10 crore votes are needed. Citizens can pledge their support by giving a missed call to the number 80009 80009.

Zee’s two films have been conceptualised and executed by Lowe Lintas.

1. The Film:

2. The Film:

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