Energy Swaraj Foundation’s nationwide yatra sets off from Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial, aiming to mobilise 10 lakh citizens for sustainable living and climate responsibility
Climate action leader and former IIT Bombay professor Prof. Chetan Singh Solanki on Wednesday launched the Bharat Climate Satyagraha Yatra from Rajghat, New Delhi, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi —marking the beginning of a 100-day people’s movement for responsible consumption and sustainable living.
The yatra commenced at 9 AM with Prof. Solanki and participants offering floral tributes at Rajghat before setting out on the 5,800-kilometre journey across 51 cities along the Golden Quadrilateral route.
The launch ceremony was attended by Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy; Dr. Amarpreet Duggal, Joint Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy; Sister Rama from Brahma Kumaris; and Rajnish Kumar, Secretary, Gandhi Samiti, Rajghat. Students from DPS Faridabad and Green Field School also participated in the inauguration.
Organised by the Energy Swaraj Foundation, the yatra will traverse major cities including Agra, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur, before concluding in Delhi on 20 August 2026. The campaign aims to mobilise around 10 lakh citizens towards climate action through behavioural change and mindful consumption.
Addressing participants at Rajghat, Prof. Solanki drew a sharp distinction between economic growth and planetary limits: “Our incomes can grow, our technology can grow, our industries can grow — but the Earth’s capacity to supply resources cannot. Today, humanity is consuming resources equal to 1.8 Earths while we have only one planet. This imbalance is visible in rising pollution, falling groundwater levels, and increasing climate disasters.”
He called for a people-driven movement rooted in truth and self-discipline, extending an appeal to citizens to take a one-year pledge of not buying new clothes as a tangible first step. “The fashion industry consumes enormous amounts of water, energy, and natural resources. One simple change in our lifestyle can become a powerful act of Climate Satyagraha,” he said.
While the yatra will physically travel the Golden Quadrilateral, the Climate Satyagraha campaign will extend beyond the route through local volunteer-led initiatives, including participation from communities in the North East and Jammu & Kashmir.
Widely known as the “Solar Man of India,” Prof. Solanki has championed decentralised energy awareness and sustainable living for over a decade through the Energy Swaraj Movement. The Bharat Climate Satyagraha Yatra broadens that mission into a mass citizen movement, one rooted in Gandhian principles of truth, simplicity, and self-restraint.
Climate Satyagraha is the insistence on living within the Earth’s limits, reducing unnecessary consumption through simple, practical, and accessible actions available to every citizen.
Citizens, students, institutions, and organisations interested in joining the Bharat Climate Satyagraha movement can participate by taking the Finite Living Pledge through the campaign’s official website, thefiniteearth.org. Participants can register their commitment to avoid buying new clothes for one year and become part of the nationwide citizen-led climate action initiative.
