On a beautiful Sunday morning in Pune, the sight of hundreds of enthusiastic cyclists, from ages 7 to 82, including thirty disabled soldiers, was indeed heartening. To the sounds of Dhol Tashas and Tootaries, the enthusiastic cyclists set off on the Pune Pedal Power Cycle Rally, to celebrate World Environment Day (which is today).
Milind Soman – India’s first male supermodel and now popularly known as the Marathon Man – is the ambassador for this rally and he led the cyclists on a thirteen kilometer ride from the S.P. College grounds to the Corinthians Boutique Hotel. And even though the distance was just 13 Kms, the commitment was much larger – it was a pledge to help save the environment.
Milind Soman broadened the definition of environment conservation to include day to day activities like using the stairs and switching off lights when not required.
The night before the race, a series of art works by Pune-based artist, Apurva Choubey, was auctioned off at a party at the Corinthians and the proceeds were donated to the cause of saving the environment via the Pune Pedal Power Foundation.