Green Tracks

Bishen Singh Bedi has an explanation for why the Indian Cricket team is faring how it is at the World Cup: they're out of sync with natur...

Bishen Singh Bedi has an explanation for why the Indian Cricket team is faring how it is at the World Cup: they8217;re out of sync with nature and the environment. 8220;There8217;s no point complaining about the cold or the weather conditions,8221; he said, referring to the boys8217; having difficulty with gripping the ball on English soil. 8220;You cannot defy nature, but have to be at peace with it,8221; he pointed out, while jogging along the 4 km run from Maurya Sheraton to the Dandi March statue on Sardar Patel Marg at 7.00 a.m. last Saturday.

Bedi, along with Nafisa Ali, sacrificed their beauty sleep to flag off a run for Green Clean Delhi8217; on World Environment Day. And it seems that a large part of Delhi shares Ali, Bedi and organiser Maurya Sheraton8217;s concerns for a healthy environment, considering that over 300 people, including students, diplomats, Resident Welfare Association and NGO reps turned up for the event. The enthusiastic runners 8212; including Bedi, Ali and her children 8212; sported Welcome nviron T-shirts, sweated their way to and from the Dandi March statue and spontaneously broke into Hum Honge Kamiab as the hotel gates drew near. They were rewarded with a health breakfast8217; which had everyone tucking into cheeses, vegetable sandwiches and fresh fruit juices.

8220;I always try to support anything that is positive for human beings,8221; said Ali, explaining her presence at the occasion. 8220;It is important to remember how society has gone wrong and the changes we would like to see.8221; The run, an annual event for the past three years, has been gaining in popularity and Ali was especially encouraged by the number of youngsters who joined in. 8220;We can only show the way,8221; she says. Bedi, who has plans of planting 8220;thousands of trees8221; in Mehrauli, where he lives, also agrees that 8220;such runs can do a lot to raise awareness.8221; He adds: 8220;They8217;re much more effective than any political rally.8221;

The hotel, which set up Welcome nviron in 8217;92 and prides itself on its environment consciousness, also arranged for the NGO Panchavati to launch its Quit India Pollution8217; campaign the same afternoon. This children8217;s movement, which has over a million youngsters involved, is determined to rid the city of polythene bags. And taking the campaign into universities and colleges is none other than ex-Miss India Manpreet Brar, who confessed that she felt much more committed to the cause after having come into contact with the infectious enthusiasm of the children.

8220;The trick is to show that the good guys are with us and the not-so-good guys will feel guilty,8221; she grins. Also supporting the cause is fashion designer Ritu Beri, who intends to rope in the fashion industry along as well. 8220;It is an honour to be associated with such a movement,8221; she says, 8220;The youth has a voice and the people have to listen to it.8221;

Great idea, but we must make a point of checking on the progress and the levels of involvement 8212; feigned or real 8212; six months on. After all, impassioned speeches have a way of going up in smoke 8212; much like Delhi8217;s polluting toxins 8212; the minute the shutterbugs are no longer in attendance. Watch this space.