Actor and environmentalist Jackie Shroff united with 20,000 young Indians for a day that blended music, laughter, conversations and action – a climate initiative, Mitti Ki Awaaz. The day began with a grand tree plantation at the venue where participants planted saplings. The festival opened up with a mass tree plantation with 20,000 hands in the soil. From there, it marched forward to conversations, laughter, stories and music.
“I’ve done films, I’ve done causes, I’ve stood in front of crowds my whole life. But Mitti Ki Awaaz hit different. These kids didn’t come for a selfie, they came for the soil,” says Jackie Shroff and adds, ‘“Mitti ki kasam,’” that’s not just a phrase anymore. It’s a promise 20,000 young Indians just made out loud. And when 20,000 voices rise for the land beneath their feet, you know the future is choosing responsibility over rhetoric.”
Kunal Sharma from Chhatra Sansad India said, “20 lakh trees isn’t a number we gave them – it’s a promise they made to their own children, who haven’t been born yet. That is what Mitti Ki Awaaz is. Not a one-day thing. A way of living. And we are taking this festival to every corner of this country.”
Mitti Ki Awaaz was conceived by Jackie Shroff through JK Foundation and Kunal Sharma through Chhatra Sansad India, in association with Heartfulness It’s brought together artists, thinkers, performers and changemakers on one platform, united by a shared commitment to the environment. The actor was joined by Manoj Joshi, Abhishek Ray, Nikhil Taneja, Rishabh Nahar, Kanthil Mehta and young eco warriors. Manan Desai, Biswa Kalyan Rath and Chirayu Mistry took on the stage for storytelling and stand-up, finding the funny, human and the urgent in our bond with nature. And the event was closed by a striking performance by the Salim-Sulaiman band.
With Jackie Shroff, 20,000 young Indians stood together, pledging to plant 100 trees each by the end of 2026, making a combined promise of 20 lakh trees and making mindful ecological awareness all across.