Last Sunday, more than 2000 Mumbaikars came together to cycle for a cause. The city woke up to take a pledge to be more aware of mental health and to #stampoutstigma around this alarming issue. In its fifth edition, Ride to Mpower – the annual community cycle ride, an initiative by Mpower brought Mumbai together to create awareness about mental health.
The 27 km ride was flagged off at NSCI by Mrs Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson (Mpower), Aditya Thackeray, Cabinet Minister of Environment, Tourism and Protocol, Government of Maharashtra & MLA from Worli constituency, Praveen Pardeshi, (IAS Officer) Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai and Mr Aryaman Birla, Cricketer, Entrepreneur and Head – Aditya Birla Sports.
The 15 km ride was flagged off by Mayank Bathwal, Chief Executive Officer at Aditya Birla Health Insurance and Kausar Munir, Bollywood lyricist & screenwriter. The cyclists also received words of encouragement from IPS Officer Sanjay Barve, Police Commissioner of Mumbai.
Talking about the same, Neerja Birla, Founder and Chairperson, Mpower said, “At Mpower, we always strive to bring about a change in perception and attitude towards mental health in India. We are delighted with the overwhelming support we have received over the past 4 years with Mumbaikars coming out to stamp out stigma around mental health. With this year’s Ride to Mpower, we hope to bring in more cycling and fitness communities together to pave the way for positive conversations about mental health. We are extremely glad to have the support of powerful youth icon Aditya Thackeray and leaders like Praveen Pardeshi, Sanjay Barve, Mayank Bathwal, Kausar Munir and Aryaman Birla who will champion the cause and encourage Mumbaikars to #stampoutstigma around mental health. We want to encourage more and more people to join the movement and create a dialogue about mental health with the same zeal, openness and seriousness as we do for physical health. After all, a healthy mind and a healthy body both contribute towards an individual's holistic well-being.”
Aditya Thackeray, Cabinet Minister of Environment, Tourism and Protocol, Government of Maharashtra & MLA from Worli constituency at the flag-off said, “I am extremely happy to be here for such an important cause of creating awareness about mental health. Neerja Birla’s Mpower is doing a fantastic job in alleviating stigma associated with this topic and cycling is a great way to bring the city together. We had started a cycling track at Marine drive to promote cycling, and Neerja Birla’s enthusiasm and thought of Ride to Mpower has inspired me to create more initiatives for fitness.”
Many witnessed the streets of Mumbai from NSCI, Worli until BKC filled with enthusiastic Mumbaikars beginning their Sunday with a pledge to increase conversations about mental health and make Mumbai taboo-free. The event saw a participation of cyclists from all walks of life including social and mental health activists, corporate executives, cycling ambassadors, fitness enthusiasts and college-goers.
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