Hyderabad, June 2022: To commemorate World Environment Day, HDFC Bank Parivartan today launched a high-decibel campaign called #EnginesOff to raise awareness on the importance of reducing air pollution. Through a short street play, motorists idling their vehicles at busy traffic intersections were encouraged to switch off their engines while they were waiting for the signal to turn green.
The bank is rolling out this short play at over 126 busy signals in 40 cities across the country. The three-day campaign starts on June 5th and includes large metros such as Mumbai, Gurugram, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Pune, as well as smaller cities like Ludhiana, Varanasi, Nasik, Vijayawada, Vizag, Rajkot and Guwahati among others.
According to the World Health Organisation, research shows that over 7 million people die from air pollution each year. A small measure like switching off the engine can reduce an individual’s emissions by half.
The street play is part of HDFC Bank’s nationwide ESG campaign highlighting the small steps we can take towards sustainable progress. The campaign shows how the future can be better if we change things today. The bank also launched four unique films that highlight its social and environmental initiatives under its flagship programme Parivartan, as part of the same campaign.
“HDFC Bank has always been committed to leading responsibly. We believe that as India’s largest bank, we must use our brand to create a positive social impact and make a difference in the lives of communities,” said Mr. Ravi Santhanam, CMO, HDFC Bank. “With this campaign, we want to raise awareness on the simple steps we can take to prevent a catastrophic future. We need to come together and act now so we can create a better tomorrow,” he added.
HDFC Bank is the amongst the largest corporate CSR spenders in the country. The bank’s key focus areas include care for climate, rural development, education, skill development, healthcare & hygiene and financial literacy under Parivartan.
The locations where the street plays were enacted
| Hyderabad | Jubilee Hills |
| Hi-Tech City | |
| Khairatabad | |
| Gachibowli | |
| Vijayawada | Benz circle |
| Ramvarampadu | |
| Bhavani purana | |
| Ibrahimpatnam | |
| Vizag | RTC Complex |
| Maddilapalem | |
| Gajuwaka | |
| Siripuram |
As soon as the vehicles came to a halt at the intersection on sighting red signal, the actors wearing black ‘T’ shirts, with their hands and face painted black, entered the scene, took their positions and began the street play. A huge placard from behind emerged with the slogan “Trapped in pollution. Could be you.” The actors wear their masks, try to carry the huge oxygen cylinder with no energy left in them, while struggling to breathe. At this point another placard appeared from behind with an appeal “Act Now! # Engines Off, Towards a better Tomorrow.”
