Walkathon raises awareness on hunger

The ‘24 Hour Famine’ is a campaign targeted at addressing issues of hunger and malnutrition that impact the lives of children, especially those under the age of five. The campaign was initiated in the city by World Vision India which launched a walkathon and cultural event on Monday. It was inaugurated by well-known TV actors Sameer, Pawan Sai, Asmitha Sreevani, Raj Kalki, Sainath, Chakri, Zakir, Lohit, Nandakishore and Shanny.

The walkathon drew participation from schools, colleges and various communities. Starting from the Mehboob College to Hari Hara Kala Bhavan, the walkathon saw participants carrying banners with facts on hunger and malnutrition in a bid to raise awareness among onlookers on the gravity of the issue. The campaign continued in the city after the walkathon with a cultural event at Hari Hara Kala Bhavan, where dances, songs and mimicry on the theme of hunger were performed.

Music director B Hemant Kumar released a song on the theme.

“Hunger is a fundamental problem in our country that deeply affects all Indians across social and economic divides. This song is a call to all people, especially the youth, to join the cause and together work to end hunger and malnutrition deaths in our country,” said Hemant.

The event saw a round of discussion on what could be done to fight malnutrition in the country.

“Untimely deaths, chronic diseases and a massive loss in the nation’s productivity should not be reduced to mere statistics worthy only for repetition in political narratives, but needs to become an integral topic of thought,” said Dr Jayakumar.

“The way to end hunger lies with spreading awareness and campaigns such as this is designed to kick start such conversations and drive home the message to the nation,” he noted.

The campaign is being conducted in seven cities including Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Guwahati.