Honourable Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu unveiled the much-awaited documentary titled ‘Sanjeevani – The Journey | A Special Documentary’ which captured Network18’s Sanjeevani – A Shot Of Life, a Federal Bank CSR initiative, with NGO partners United Way Mumbai. He even delivered a keynote address supporting the initiative. The event was held at his residence at 7pm.
Network18’s Sanjeevani – A Shot Of Life, a Federal Bank CSR initiative, with United Way Mumbai
On April 7, 2021, Network18 launched this initiative, just as India was fighting a devastating second wave of COVID-19 infections. What followed over the next twelve months was the worlds largest vaccine awareness drive. As the initiative inched closer to its end, the documentary of the same name was shot. It captures the essence and journey from the conceptualisation to the execution of driving an on-ground vaccine awareness initiative.
Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu expressed his happiness to be a part of this programme. He says, “Sanjeevani is an initiative for the larger good of the people of the country, which requires commitment, conviction and passion. This vaccination is the need of the hour, back then and even now. Due to various reasons, people had doubts and hesitated to take the vaccine. In this situation, this initiative by Network18 along with Federal Bank is praiseworthy to reach out to people, educate them and remove the misgivings from their minds. It is the responsibility of the government. At the same time people’s participation and cooperation from well meaning organisations is very much required to see that this programme gets momentum and becomes a successful one. I convey my deepest appreciation to all the doctors, scientists and frontline health workers for the spirit of sacrifice displayed by them for fighting the pandemic and serving the people. I would also like to appreciate and salute our Indian scientists to come out with Indian made vaccines. It is the collective effort of the government and the citizens that 183 crore COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far. It’s a remarkable achievement.”
Santosh Menon, Chief Content Officer, Network18, says, “Through Sanjeevani – A Shot Of Life’, we tried to reach the furthest corners of India and do our bit to fight against this deadly COVID-19 virus. And now, through this documentary, we want to celebrate the work done by our frontline warriors, whether it be doctors, paramedics, Anganwadi or Asha workers, who helped vaccinate Indias huge population. This documentary throws light on the efforts taken to raise awareness around COVID-19 vaccinations and mobilise efforts to ensure the vaccination of every Indian in India’s remote corners. It encapsulates the journey from its conceptualisation to the execution of driving an on-ground vaccine awareness including busting myths and helping some of the worst COVID-hit districts of India.”
Puneet Singhvi, CEO – Digital & President – Corporate Strategy at Network18 Media & Investments Limited, says, “As one is aware, there was a lot of hesitancy on vaccination and even more in the country’s remote corners. Through Sanjeevani – A shot of life, in collaboration with Federal Bank and NGO United Way, we crossed this hurdle of vaccine hesitancy and covered over 1000 villages across India, through mass awareness drives, transportation and other registration assistance, among others. The documentary is an extension of this initiative which we are proud and honoured to have the Vice President launch it at his residence. With its digital launch we hope it to reach across the country.”
United Way spokesperson, “Since many of the people weren’t even aware of the vaccination, registration was all the more challenging. The most arduous task was the accessibility, creating an awareness drive and busting myths around vaccination as these are remote corners of the country. Through our Sanjeevani – A Shot Of Life, in joint effort with Network18 and Federal Bank, we managed to overcome this challenge by bringing all the stakeholders together by mobilising efforts around awareness. The documentary illustrates these efforts, right from conception to its execution, portraying all the challenges and achievements.”
Shyam Srinivasan, MD & CEO, Federal Bank India, “As an organisation, we have always been working towards the welfare of the people. Sanjeevani – A Shot Of Life with Network18 and United Way, once again, gave us the platform to come together and help in the cause to make India a safer place with our vaccination awareness drives and other efforts like masking up and social distancing. We managed to access 1000 villages across India, reaching lakhs of Indians and helping them achieve a state of normalcy. With the country’s Vice President launching the Sanjeevani documentary at his residence, it is indeed a proud moment for us.”
Sanjeevani – a Shot Of Life initiative, which covered over 1000 villages, starting from Wagah Border in Punjab, reached out to nearly 5 lakh people, helping them back to normalcy. The initiative worked towards busting myths, overcoming vaccination hesitancy and helping some of the worst COVID-hit districts of India, with over 1 lakh beneficiaries registered for the vaccine.
While the documentary captures the essence of the work done towards vaccinating India, it also pays tribute to frontline warriors like doctors, nurses, ANMS, Asha and Anganwadi workers along with social workers and acknowledges Sanjeevani Champions who went beyond the call of duty.
The initiative during its roll out had seen massive support from all walks of life, including India’s biggest policymakers like Mansukh Mandaviya – Union Health Minister, Anurag Thakur – Minister Information and Broadcasting, Aditya Thackeray – Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment for the Government of Maharashtra, and Bollywood celebrities like Sarah Ali Khan, Kirti Kulhari, and more. The initiative was taken to greater heights with a dedicated anthem ‘Tika Laga’, composed by music director Shankar Mahadevan and sung by him, Harshdeep Kaur and others, to encourage vaccination.
The documentary is now available for public viewing on Network18’s social media channels.
The link to the documentary: www.facebook.com/watch/v=1912202565835223
About Network18 Sanjeevani – A Shot Of Life
Network18 Sanjeevani – A Shot Of Life, a CSR initiative by Federal Bank, aims to create awareness around COVID-19 vaccinations and mobilize efforts to ensure that every Indian is vaccinated. The initiative collaborated with NGOs, Government agencies and influencers to spread information and bust myths surrounding the vaccine, while enlisting donors to gift vaccines to the most deprived and worst affected Indians. It also drove an on-ground vaccine awareness and vaccination drive in some of the worst COVID hit districts of India, which included assisting people for vaccination registration, providing transportation support and strengthening vaccination centre, among others.
