‘I’ve started walking faster’: Walker-activist Pushpanath Krishnamurthy on creating awareness on climate change

Pushpanath Krishnamurthy, 70, has been walking to create awareness about climate change for years. Now, he is moving faster

Climate change warrior Pushpanath Krishnamurthy | Photo Credit: Ravindran R

Pushpanath Krishnamurthy walks the talk. Literally.

“I’ve done about 33 million steps till now,” he says, settling down for a chat at Chennai’s Jeeva Park. Push — as he is known — began with a walk from Oxford to Copenhagen to raise awareness on climate change in 2009. A lot has changed since then. “For the better, thankfully,” he states.

During his most recent walk, he collected 5,000 cards from students, a response he could not have anticipated in 2009. “There’s a big leap in awareness among younger people who are worried about climate change. I’m not a Gandhian, but I like what Gandhiji says about injustice and action. Speak truth to power,” he says. “That’s what I’ve been doing — collecting stories about the effects of climate change, and sharing them among stakeholders.

During his last walk in the UK, Pushpanath kept singing Bharathiyar’s popular ‘Achamillai Achamillai’ and Kannada poet Kuvempu’s ‘Nada Mundhe’ to keep his spirits high. Despite the language being unfamiliar, the songs connected with many of his co-walkers, mostly from the UK, who also learnt the lyrics and joined in. “A lot of people sang and walked along. In this journey, I have stayed in the house of unemployed youths as well as with a member of the royal family. I’m just a regular guy but the amount of inspiration that people give me is immense. They’ve provided me food and shelter, and most importantly, shared stories of anxiety and hope,” he adds.

The Superstar connect

Pushpanath grew up in Bengaluru, where he studied in Acharya Patashala in Basavangudi. Here, he was classmates with a certain Sivaji Rao Gaekwad, who we all know today as Rajinikanth. “I was very interested in street theatre, and so was he,” recalls Pushpanath, “We did a few plays together, including one on the childhood times of Chhatrapati Shivaji. I’ve lost touch with him since, but I hope I can meet him someday and get him to voice his support for the movement against global warming.”

Pushpanath works closely with Fairtrade International, a group aimed at promoting the lives of farmers and workers through trade. In Tamil Nadu, he closely collaborates with the Fair Trade Town Movement and Jai Jagat International, which translates to ‘victory to the planet,’ exploring alternative development processes that are pro-people and pro-Nature. Currently, Pushpanath is touring various pockets of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, to have conversations with frontline workers affected by climate change. “The darkest paradox of our time is that people who have contributed least to this problem are suffering the most,” he says. Come September, he will also be involved with the Ahimsa Santhai, organised by the Nonviolent Economy Network to showcase small-scale enterprise models.

Pushpanath Krishnamurthy | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

After years of campaigning, he is pleased to see the younger generation taking climate change seriously. “From the smallest thing they eat to what they buy, they are starting to show change,” beams Pushpanath, “For instance, they do not want to travel in the car everywhere; they pool resources. They are foraging and use solar and wind power. They buy ethically and source locally. It is happening right here in India, and the most heartening aspect is that these young people are also putting pressure on their parents and leaders.”

One of the reasons that people don’t emphasise with the issue, he feels, is that it isn’t a priority in the everyday scheme of things. “Events are overtaking our lives. The urgency of addressing COVID-19 and conflicts are immense and personal, when compared to global warming. But, it is imperative to keep reminding people about it.”

At 70, Pushpanath is doing exactly that, through his many walks and talks. In fact, he is walking faster than ever before, because he wants to highlight its urgency. “During one of my walks, a lady walked up to me and said, ‘I can’t believe that you’re doing it for my grandchildren. Thank you.’ Statements like these give me the energy to go ahead.”