Actor Mandira Bedi flags off sixth edition of Oxfam India Trailwalker in Mumbai

Mumbai, November 26, 2018: Oxfam India, the fully independent Indian organization focused on fighting inequality and discrimination, concluded the sixth edition of its Mumbai Trailwalker in Kajrat, Maharashtra, held from November 23rd -25th 2018. With a crucial message of ‘Walk for Equality’, the trail promotes team spirit across communities and raise funds for the cause.

Fitness enthusiast and actor Mandira Bedi flagged off this year’s sixth edition of Oxfam India Trailwalker in Mumbai. Writer and actor Harman Singha and yoga guru Natasha Noel walked in solidarity with the highest fundraising team ‘Schlumberger - Road Runners’ at the event.

This year the 100Km and 50km trail started from Kajrat, a picturesque town overlooking the majestic Sahayadri ranges, the Western Ghats as well as the Bhor Ghat. The trail started on 23rd November at 6 am from starting point at Gajanand Vidyalaya, Village Kadav and culminated on 25th November at Sheltrex Smartphone City - Shirse, Karjat.

This year, 576 people participated in the Trailwalker by forming the teams of four.

Giving team building a compete relook; Oxfam Trailwalker helps explore newer vistas for people to overcome their odds and find meaningful change in their lives. Oxfam Trailwalker has integrated crucial elements of development in the society i.e. bonhomie and equality, to bring sustainable change in the society.

Winning teams Details:

Team Columbia HK completed the 100-km trail in 16 hours 40 minutes and 55 seconds
Super Troopers completed the 50-km trail in 10 hours 13 minutes 21 seconds

Fitness enthusiast and actor Mandira Bedi said, “The term ‘Walk the Talk’ is what Oxfam India believes in and I was thrilled to see so many people support their cause and walk for equality. Doing 100 kms in 48 hours requires a certain amount of physical strength, training and endurance; and most importantly, to do it pretty much non-stop, it requires a certain mindset! There are close to 80 lakh young girls who are not in school, and Oxfam is working to ensure they get access to education and equal opportunities. I congratulate Oxfam India on all the wonderful work they are doing; I am very happy to associate with this cause, today, and any time in the future.”

Amitabh Behar, CEO, Oxfam India said, “We are overwhelmed by the support we have received from not just corporates and individuals who participated in Oxfam Trailwalker but also from celebrities Mandira Bedi, Harman Singha and Natasha Noel who supported the walkers and our cause. This trailwalker was special for me, as for the first time, I walked 100 Km with my teammates and completed the trail. They were indeed the best 48 hours of my life—exhilarating, inspiring and a great learning experience. The life of the poor and the most excluded is extremely challenging and the challenges they face are bigger than the 100km walk sometimes. Trailwalker is a fantastic way of connecting the people who live with privileges with a person who is living a life of deprivation.”

Team Columbia HK team leader Raymond Ching said, “We did Hong Kong Trailwalker last week, which was our training for this week’s Trailwalker in Mumbai. We did our first Trailwalker together as a team in Japan and since then have gone on to do one each in Austria, Spain, France, Hong Kong and India this year. As we ran our first Mumbai Trailwalker, we saw poverty from close quarters - we realized that people in the villages don’t have access to clean drinking water, and have intermittent access to electricity. Through our fundraising efforts at Oxfam Trailwalker, we want to uplift the basic living standard of these people and do our bit for equality. We were three teams from Hong Kong this year, and next year, we hope there will be more. Oxfam India Trailwalker is one of our favourite Trailwalkers.”