Water scarcity is one of the biggest problems in today’s time, especially in India, where severe droughts have made livelihood difficult for many impoverished families. In fact, walking long miles in the search of water is a daily occurrence for many women and young children in rural India.
And, as part of the Network18 initiative Mission Paani Waterthon, actor Akshay Kumar decided to walk 21 km on a treadmill to understand the plight of women and throw light on the problem of water scarcity.
Twitterati, like always, had a lot to say about Akshay Kumar’s ‘stunt’:
While it may come from a noble intention, walking on the treadmill, while wearing comfortable shoes, in a temperature-controlled environment, isn’t exactly the same as walking barefoot, in the scorching heat, while carrying empty and laden pots of water. “Armchair activism”, even if done on a treadmill, isn’t exactly the solution to water scarcity.