Amruta Fadnavis, the first lady of Maharashtra and the wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is known for being actively involved in supporting various social causes and very recently she has lent her voice to save the rivers of Mumbai. She has appeared in a music video titled Mumbai River Anthem along with her husband and appealed citizens to maintain cleanliness of rivers and conserve them. The song, sung by Amruta Fadnavis and Sonu Nigam, is shot at Sanjay Gandhi National Park and it also features State Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta and Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar. Through this song she urges Mumbaikars to save four rivers of the city — Poisar, Dahisar, Oshiwara and Mithi.
Chief Engineer of MSRDC Anil Kumar Gaikwad, said, “Amrutaji has always surprised me with her kind gesture towards humanity. Despite being CM’s wife, she always remained connected with people and their crucial issues; from acid attack victims to the rivers of Maharashtra, she has taken initiatives to create awareness among citizens. I feel proud of her.”
According to Amruta, rapid urbanisation of Mumbai has taken its toll on rivers as people often throw waste thereby affecting their flow. Therefore, it is necessary to create awareness among citizens to conserve rivers. She wants citizens to take a proactive step to save rivers instead of merely blaming the civic body and administration. According to her, a small step taken by people can make a huge difference.
BJP Mumbai spokesperson Suresh Nakhua said, “It’s good that CM’s wife is engaged in social causes and promoting the same. This would go a long way in causes getting highlighted and get the attention of the media to the work being done by Fadnavis government.”
Mumbaikars had to bear the brunt of floods caused due to the choking of Mithi River as solid waste and industrial effluents were disposed in it. The river was unable to channel excess water as large amount of water had flown on the city’s streets. Therefore, it has become necessary to create awareness among people to refrain from disposing waste into rivers and save them.
BJP Mumbai Vice President Krishna Hegde lauded the efforts taken by Amruta for conserving river and said, “Yes, of course! Amruta deserves all the appreciation. AAP party has lost the plot and Congress seems to be losing it too. Hats off to the Chief Minister and his family for highlighting the plight of the rivers and making efforts to save them! Others should also follow their example instead of criticising good work done by them.”
Some portion of the song has been shot at the CM’s official bungalow Varsha in Malabar Hills. It contains footage of school children to Maharashtra policemen and the video highlights about the significance of rivers and how citizens must conserve them for improving their tomorrow. The Chief Minister’s daughter is also seen in the video. Government funds weren’t used for the video and the personalities who featured in the video did so free of cost.
Anil Tiwari, a social media personnel, said that Amruta is making a mockery of the Chief Minister and the government. “Her songs and dances give impression that she is taking advantage of her husband’s position,” he said.
Amruta is a multi-faceted personality and wears several hats – leading banker, social activist and a classical singer. As the first woman of the state, Amruta never remained limited to lavish and luxury and has given a lot of time for the social causes. She is a trained classical singer, performed in various social events and actively involved in entertainment industry. Currently Amruta is working for ‘Women Empowerment’ and ‘Development of Rural India’ with the goal of bringing out a social change. She has adopted village ‘Fetri’ and village ‘Kawdas’ for the development and economic upliftment.
