MUMBAI: This Independence Day, major startups, musicians, and the Robin Hood Army (RHA), are coming together in a unique project to unite Indians and Pakistanis into action. #Mission500k will mobilize students, startups, families, and corporate offices to rally together and serve meals to 5,00,000 less fortunate people on both sides of the border on Independence Day.

Marquee startups, Uber, Zomato, Snapdeal, Oyo, Grofers, Inshorts, Roposo, InMobi and Pressplay have joined hands to be a part of #Mission500k, while Vh1 has driven the message through the music fraternity with artists, Farhan Akhtar, Uday Benegal, Vishal Dadlani, coming together for the nationwide movement with an anthem.

The Anthem Video can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/vh1india/videos/10155254726911164

“We are excited to bring everyone together and see the potential impact of this project. The idea is to get citizens across both countries to be aware and act on our common enemy – hunger.” said Neel Ghose, founder of the Robin Hood Army.

“We are excited to be a part of this noble initiative by the Robin Hood Army and to help them in their fight against hunger. With Realign, we, at Vh1, want to reach out to each and every individual to urge them to do their bit and help out for the greater good of our society.” – Ferzad Palia - Head, Youth and English Entertainment. “RHA’s journey has been truly inspiring for a lot of us at Zomato and beyond; it is also great to see the startup ecosystem coming together to make a collective and tangible difference. We are excited to join hands with them for #Mission500k this Independence Day and are hopeful they will achieve their goal,” said Deepinder Goyal, Founder & CEO of Zomato.

“I am moved by the spirit and dedication of the Robin Hood Army to wipe out hunger from India and Pakistan. It is a remarkable opportunity for all of us to play our roles in uprooting hunger by putting an end to food wastage, however big or small. Let’s all come together to be a part of this inspiring movement,” said Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Oyo.

“Our teams across Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore are chalking out major plans for the 14th,” said Sarah Afridi who set up the RHA in Pakistan. “What we need is not monetary contributions –just the time and compassion of our fellow citizens.”

Vh1 and Seagrams 100 Pipers have created a music video featuring famous music artists, which shall be the anthem for the mission. The anthem, features all the singers and music artist who have supported the cause and lent their talent into creating the masterpiece. Viewers will be encouraged to step out and help less fortunate countrymen on Independence Day, and share their moments on social media with the hashtag: #Mission500k. The RHA has a 5,000-member team across 30 cities that will set up and execute the operational framework.

In a first of its kind initiative, the startups will use their platforms and social media reach to spread the word to inspire millions of users to act. They will also contribute directly to the project by enabling people to donate in kind to #Mission500k; there will be strictly no fund raising.

There are 230 million people in the sub-continent who do not get two square meals a day, though #Mission500k will create a small difference in the macro scheme of things, hopefully projects like these will inspire the community to work towards changing things for the better.