Bhumi Satish Pednekar brings India's flood crisis to the global stage at the Asia Summit

At the recently concluded 2025 Asia Summit in Singapore the 12th edition of the Milken Institute’s Asia Summit leaders from business, government, finance, technology, health, and philanthropy gathered under the theme “Progress with Purpose: Collaboration Amid Complexity.” Among them was Indian actor and climate advocate Bhumi Satish Pednekar, who brought urgent stories from India’s flood-affected regions straight to the global stage.

Pednekar, who has long used her platform to amplify social and environmental issues, emphasized that her work goes far beyond cinema. “Yes, my bio says actress, but it also says climate warrior and advocate. I think that part of my work is just as important,” she said, addressing an audience that included policymakers and changemakers from across Asia.

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With much of India and Southeast Asia reeling from unprecedented flooding, Bhumi shared her firsthand experience from a recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir. “Just this week, I was on the ground in Jammu, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and what I saw completely broke my heart. Entire communities have lost everything. Most of them are low-income families who spent their whole lives saving to build a home, educating their children and in one night, it was all gone. So how do they rebuild? How do they find hope again?”

Highlighting the power of collective action, she unveiled a crowdfunding initiative in partnership with grassroots organizations in India to provide immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation. “That’s where I want to use my platform. I’ve partnered with some incredible organizations in India doing disaster relief, and we’ve launched a crowdfunding initiative to support these families. It’s about immediate aid, but also about helping them rebuild with dignity,” Pednekar explained.

Her call to action was clear and deeply personal: “All the details are available on my Instagram and LinkedIn, and I truly hope people will join us in making a difference. Because this isn’t just an environmental crisis it’s a human crisis.”