| MUMBAI:
NDTV Toyota's 24-hour nonstop programming effort for the environment- Greenathon,
in its second year received an overwhelming response from Bollywood stars, Chief
Ministers from different states of India, corporates and aam aadami helping raise
Rs. 3.92 crores and lighting up 157 villages across India. Greenthaon 2 saw many
environmentally conscious people not only from India but across the world come
forward to take the green pledge and adopt villages for TERI's Lighting a Billion
Lives initiative. Some of the generous donors for Greenathon 2 were: Shahrukh
Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Ranbir Kapoor; Arshad Warsi, Dia Mirza,
Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Rahul Bose, Riteish Deshmukh,
Voltas, CII, Nokia, Jaypee Infratech, Galaxy Toyota, Gitanjali Gems, N Jayakumar
of Prime Securities. Bollywood
celebrities extended their full support to the green cause by taking a pledge
to do their bit for a cleaner planet. Actor Shahrukh Khan who adopted 5 villages
last year reaffirmed his commitment to the environment by adopting 8 more villages
this year and becoming one of the highest donors; followed by Hrithik Roshan who
adopted 5 villages; and Ranbir Kapoor who adopted two villages. Kareena Kapoor
too adopted Prampur, Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh which is close to her heart. Actor
Arshad Warsi did his bit to save the environment by taking up the village of Khadimal
in Maharashtra that was in darkness till date. Dia Mirza who hails from Andhra
Pradesh decided to adopt the village of Kokkirai Lanka in her state. Deepika Padukone
adopted the village of Ambegaon in Maharashtra. Also stepping forward were Abhishek
Bachchan, Shekhar Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh who adopted a village each. Priyanka
Chopra, also the campaign ambassador, announced her decision to adopt 2 villages
as the Greenathon concluded. Chief
Ministers across the country joined hands and pledged for a greener India. Delhi
CM Sheila urged the citizens to adopt a tree each; while Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj
Singh Chauhan pledged to plant 5 crore saplings in the stat. As part of the state's
massive afforestation programme, Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik pledged to cover an
area of 1 million hectares with trees; whereas Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah vowed to restore the Dal lake and Nagin lake to their pristine glory.
Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda vouched for solar power for a greener and cleaner
future and Karnataka CM B S Yeddyurappa guaranteed sustainable development towards
a greener and cleaner state. Leading
corporates also showed their solidarity towards the cause with Voltas adopting
7 villages followed by Gitanjali Gems, CII and N Jayakumar of Prime Securities
sponsoring 5 villages each; Nokia adopting 4 villages; Fortis Healthcare, Jaypee
Infratech and Galaxy Toyota adopting 2 villages each. COMVIVA, Toyota and SRF
also decided to adopt a village each, amongst others. Actor,
model and 'Marathon Man' Milind Soman ran for 100 km and helped raise 50 lakhs
to light up villages. The magnanimous Rahul Bose not only ran along with Milind
but also adopted a village. Bollywood
stars like Vivek Oberoi, Neha Dhupia, Waheeda Rehman, Abhay Deol, Mughda Godse,
Sajid Khan, Imran Khan, Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Kailash Kher, Pritam and
Shilpa Rao also lent their support to the campaign. Artists
also showed their support for the green cause. Paresh Maity created a stunning
painting for the green cause on the sets of Greenathon itself which was auctioned
with the paintings of Subodh Gupta and Anjolie Ela Menon. The proceeds from its
sale will be used for the noble cause of spreading environmental awareness. Cartoonist
Sudhir Tailang also made a caricature promoting the green cause that will be put
to auction to raise money for TERI's LABL. The
Greenathon 2, a 24-hour nonstop and live programming initiative dedicated to create
environmental awareness, commenced on Saturday 6th March 2010 at 7pm and was hosted
by Vikram Chandra along with the witty Cyrus Broacha and campaign ambassador,
Priyanka Chopra. Musical extravaganza by Bollywood stars and singers; live chats
with celebrities; simultaneous green activities across India; documentaries on
environment; along with the trio's humorous and energetic hosting kept the audience
glued to their TV sets for 24 hrs. The
Greenathon 2 saw the entire nation participate in various green activities. The
Green Mela in Delhi was inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit along
with Harpal Singh of Nanhi Chhaan and Dr. Prannoy Roy, Chairman NDTV. Suresh Kalmadi,
MP and Chairman, Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, along with
its mascot 'Shera' and members of the Indian Hockey team -Rajpal Singh, Sandeep
Singh and Prabhjot Singh and Virbhadra Singh, Union Minister for Steel came out
to support the green cause. Mural wall paintings and saplings take away drive
were the highlights of the Green Mela. Fitness freaks at Fitness First Gym in
Delhi sweat it out with aerobics sessions, endorsing the message 'Go Green' all
through the Greenathon. Vasant Valley School and Fortis Hospital in Delhi also
participated in sapling distribution. The
Mumbai Eco Fest had actors Purab Kohli, Luke Kenny and Diana Hayden Atul Kulkarni,
Dino Morea, Kunal Kapoor; celebrity Pooja Bedi, Claudia Ciesla; adman Prahlad
Kakkar and Miss India World Pooja Chopra, cycle the Electric Pedal and erect art
installations from collected waste materials. Marathon Man Milind Soman also ran
100 km in 24 hours passing through some of the famous landmarks of Mumbai city.
Clean
up drives at the Elliott Beach in Chennai, Dal Lake in Srinagar and Gomti River
in Lucknow; Tree plantation and sapling give away drives in Bangalore and Hyderabad
were the other major highlights of this countrywide campaign. For
more details, visit our website green.ndtv.com. | 
