Inner Wheel Club and Mahatma Gandhi Centenary HS Celebrate ‘Vanamahotsav ’17’
Inner Wheel Club Mangaluru North and Mahatma Gandhi Centenary High School-Bondel, Mangaluru Celebrate ‘Vanamahotsav ’17’
Mangaluru: “Connecting People to Nature”, the theme for World Environment Day 2017, implores us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty and its importance, and to take forward the call to protect the Earth that we share. Despite repeated global pledges to protect the planet’s environment, the trees, the animal and other living species and their habitats – and the goods and services they provide – the earth natural resources continues to decline at an unprecedented rate. Human activities are the cause. In such a grim situation, the celebration of Vanamahotsav 2017 – provides a timely opportunity to focus on the urgency of safeguarding our valued environment for the wealth, health and well being of all living beings on the Planet.
“If a tree is saved even at cost of one’s head, it’s worth it” said the noted activist Amrita Devi Bishnoi. This is the reason why India has so many festivals related to trees. One of them is the “Vanamahotsav Day” or the “Forest Day” or “Festival of Trees”. It was started as a crusade with the lofty purpose of saving the mother earth-it was started in 1950 by K.M. Munshi, the then Union Minister for Agriculture and Food to create enthusiasm among masses for forest conservation and planting trees. It is a week-long festival, celebrated on different days in different parts of India. In its original aim, every citizen of India is expected to plant a sapling during the “Week”. Also, awareness campaigns about benefits and protection of trees and the harm caused by cutting down of trees are held. It is the festival of life.
It is annual and is to be celebrated during the month of July. Monsoon is there during July and is a special month for trees and tree planting. The main objective of the festival is to inculcate tree consciousness and love of trees among the people and popularize the planting and tending of trees in farms, villages, schools, municipal and public lands for their aesthetic, economic and protective needs. And to observe “Vanamahotsava”, the members of Bharat Scouts and Guides of Mahatma Gandhi Centenary High School-Bondel-Mangaluru and members of Inner Wheel Club-Mangaluru North, the management and staff of the school engaged themselves in tree planting at various spots around the School campus, on Friday, 28 July.
The programme began with a short prayer service invoking God’s blessings by the Bharath Scout and Guides members, followed by welcome address by Neville D’Silva, the compere of the programme. The chief guest for the occasion was Usha M Sudhakar- President of Inner Wheel Club-MN; and guests of honour were K Krishnappa- Environmentalist; Shameen Kunil- Inner Wheel Club Zonal Literacy Coordinator; Santhosh M- School Bharath Scouts and Guides Master; Vasanthi Kamath-Treasurer of Inner Wheel Club-MN; along with other members of Inner Wheel. The dignitaries, including Yours Truly, received a floral welcome from the school teaching fraternity to a loud applaud from the bevy of students.
Chief guest Usha Sudhakar addressing the gathering said, “Humans with their greedy needs have cut down a large part of the forest cover. In the name of urbanization and globalization of cities, trees were considered as the major stumbling block. They came in the way of flyovers, roads, hoardings and pavements and hence the easiest solution was to get rid of them altogether. This declining number of trees has brought a major change in climate too. So there is a dire necessity of festivals such as Vanamahotsav, to restore the forest cover in the country. We need to plant more trees to cover up this loss, so that we can breathe clean air, and have a green and clean environment. Through trees, we get plenty of oxygen, but if trees are chopped down we lose oxygen. The ‘Vanamahotsav’ festival of trees is a beautiful initiative to save the environment, to which we owe a lot. Generally, native trees are planted as they readily adapt to the local conditions, integrate into eco-systems and have a high survival rate. Besides, such trees are helpful in supporting local birds, insects and animals as well. Our club is happy to join with MGC High School in this project, so that that the students can develop interest towards the planting of trees and create a green campus. Let us join hands and save mother earth by doing this small contribution”.
Headmistress Sr Matilda D’Souza advising the students said, “Growing trees is good for the environment- we can breathe clean air. We are taking all steps to augment the green cover. My compliments to the Bharath Scouts and Guides members and all those who were responsible for taking up the initiative in observing “Vanamahotsava”. The constant felling of trees has been a problem for a long time now and as a result of that, it is extremely important for us to create awareness for the same. And everyone must try and actively involve themselves in this practice as well. Vanamahotsava is thus a widely celebrated festival and should be celebrated as more than a day of planting trees and celebrated as any other festival. We should be thankful to Krishnappa Sir, and members of Inner Wheel Club for donating the trees, and now it’s your turn to nurture and take care of the trees. I request you all to at least plant a flower/fruit plant in your house/apartment to save the environment. Let’s all Go Green!”
Nearly 20 saplings were planted on the campus, and five more were distributed to five students to plant them in their homes. Shameen Kunil also spoke and encouraged the students to develop the habit of planting trees, which will benefit the community in becoming clean and green. The vote of thanks was delivered by Deeksha a student. Sweets were distributed to the entire school children by the members of Inner Wheel Club. K Krishnappa was felicitated by the Inner Wheel Club for his contribution towards the Green environment movement. The entire celebration of the day motivated the students to develop consciousness towards care and conservation of Nature, reflecting the feelings of gratitude and respect for the many bounties that Mother Earth graciously offers to all her children.
In conclusion, Vanamahotsav will help in increasing forest cover and conserve biodiversity. It is also the only viable option to promote fruit and timber trees. Moreover, trees also create decorative landscapes, offer shade and help protect soil from deterioration. Through Vanamahotsav, we can bring back our lost forests. The festival educates the awareness of trees among people and portrays the need of planting and tending of trees, as trees are the best ways to prevent global warming and reduce pollution. It also popularizes the planting and tending of trees in farms, villages, municipal and public lands for their aesthetic, economic and protective needs. Therefore observe Vanamahotsav to bring back our lost forests and ultimately our Environment.