Mahakumbh 2025 | Walkathon held in Lucknow ahead of UP Nature and Bird Festival in Prayagraj; focus on Indian Skimmer
Students, foresters, birders and nature lovers gathered for a walkathon in Lucknow on Saturday as a curtain raiser to UP Nature and Bird Festival, Prayagraj.
Students, foresters, birders, nature lovers, and others gathered for a walkathon that was flagged off from the 1090 crossing at Gomti Nagar and culminated at the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden on Saturday morning. The event was organised to focus on the conservation of nature and different bird species.
The star attraction ahead of the walkathon was a performance by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police's George Band. The members presented a number of soulful songs, including Sandese Aate Hain from the film Border (1997), mesmerising everyone present.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Sunil Chaudhary said, “We have divided the UP Nature and Bird Festival into three parts. We held the festival in Gonda on International Wetland Day (February 2), where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was the guest of honour. Then, a walkathon was held in Lucknow, and on February 16, we will have 'Conservation and Faith ka Sangam' in Prayagraj, as a part of the Mahakumbh, where we have the International Bird Festival with birders and conservationists. As a curtain raiser to the event, we got members of civil society, birders, bureaucrats, and students to walk for the cause and spread awareness about birds.”
Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Dr Arun Kumar Saxena unveiled the mascot at the finishing spot — the Lucknow Zoo.
Titled Kainchu, the mascot is inspired by the scissor-type beak of the Indian Skimmer, an endangered bird that the department is trying to promote and focus on.
“We are all out to save the endangered Indian Skimmer, which breeds in the fresh waters of the Chambal Bird Sanctuary, Barabanki, and Prayagraj. It has distinct characteristics, including black and white plumage with a yellow beak, while the upper part is smaller, allowing it to float effortlessly on the water surface while preying,” says Chaudhary.
The minister added, “We need to keep our water resources clean to sustain life and biodiversity.”
The event was moderated and coordinated by Mukesh Singh, chairman of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce. UP Mahila Ayog's vice-president Aparna Yadav and others forest officials were also present at the event.