A 40-year-old business graduate from Calcutta hopes to inspire climate action among tribals by riding a cycle for over 500km and leveraging on their strong sentiments for jal (water), jungle (forest) and zameen (land).
Vinay Jaju, an MBA graduate and a resident of Bhowanipore in Calcutta, started the Jharkhand leg of the Move for Earth movement from Ulihatu, the birthplace of tribal icon Birsa Munda in Khunti district on Thursday.
Jaju is also the managing director of SwitchON Foundation, an NGO working in the sector of renewable energy, environment and climate change.
“We have held similar cycle rallies in different states of eastern India but Jharkhand is special as the tribals have a strong sentiment towards their jal, jungle and jameen and this is the reason I decided to start the movement from the birthplace of Birsa Munda,” said Jaju, the co-founder of SwitchON Foundation.
Vinay will cycle through Khunti, Ranchi, Ramgarh, Bokaro, Dhanbad, Giridih, Madhupur, Deogarh, and Jarmundi and culminate in Dumka on January 9. The movement aims to celebrate and inspire climate action and work towards a better future for children, farmers, tribals and life on earth.
The cycle ride will conclude with a citizens’ jury for Earth in which small groups of farmers and urban youths will interact with experts and get involved in the process of making recommendations on the collective future, leveraging the values of democratic decision-making.
Jaju will be cycling over 3,000km across different states in east India, including around 800km in Bengal. He will interact with over 10,000 farmers, women and youths and discuss the issues of clean air, sustainable mobility, agriculture and renewable energy. The movement aims to encourage and unite climate champions and communities that can help create a sustainable ecosystem.
“It is an initiative to address and offer solutions to community-specific issues related to water, soil, energy, and clean air that directly impact citizens’ livelihood and health. Through cycle rides, we will be facilitating purposeful events and activities, engaging key stakeholders, and advancing urgent climate action,” said Jaju.
