In a massive and colourful cycle rally held on the July 26, 2015 to mark Global Tiger Day, nearly 200 students from 16 different schools in Nagpur cycled their way through the streets of the city to spread awareness on tiger conservation. The rally was organised by the Pench Tiger Reserve Conservation Foundation, Sanctuary Asia's Kids for Tigers campaign, and the Rotary Club of Nagpur Green City. Mr. M.S. Reddy (CCF & FD Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra) flagged off the cycle rally from Samvidhan Chowk at 9:00am. Mr. D.H. Raut (DFO-Ramtek), Mr. S.B. Bhallavi (DFO-Bor), Rtn. Sudhir Ghike (president of Rotary Club of Nagpur Green City), and Mr. Manish Umale (general manager of marketing-Purti Group), were also present for the flag off.
Many students wore masks and tiger costumes, and each school attached placards that projected messages of tiger conservation to their cycles. The participants of the rally wound through the streets of Nagpur chanting slogans in favour of protecting India's national animal and its habitat, as they covered a distance of nearly 11 km. in one and a half hours. Crowds eventually gathered on the streets and started cheering on the cycling children.
While flagging off the rally, Mr. M.S. Reddy mentioned that he was overwhelmed by the response of the students, parents, teachers, and school principals, who were united in the common cause of saving the tiger. Mr. Reddy thanked the Special Branch of Police as well as the traffic police for cooperating and providing all the necessary assistance and manpower during the rally. The event ended on a celebratory note with refreshments served to each participant, followed by the students being awarded certificates by the ‘Kids for Tigers' campaign, declaring each child as a ‘Friend of the Tiger'.
The youthful and energetic cycle rally to mark the 5th Global Tiger Day lit up the entire city of Nagpur on an otherwise regular Sunday morning, as the event proved to be an effective and enjoyable way to spread the message of tiger conservation to the citizens of the city. This year's Global Tiger Day will certainly be a memorable day for all the school children who participated in the event.
