VRUKSH YATRA

To grow more trees is unavoidable necessity of current time. Some people understand this issue, some do not. But most of the people are interested to plant a tree near their house. To facilitate there need for plant, Forest Department organized a ‘Vruksh Yatra-2010’ in collaboration with Vanshree Trust. The program continued for two days, i.e. Saturday and Sunday on 10th & 11th of July.

On the day-1 we all gathered @ 7:30 am at Raj-bhavan nursery. We were guided how to work, how convince people for plantation and how to maintain the register. We were divided in 10 teams. 3 people in each team. At 8:00 Am Mr. Pradeep Khanna, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest delivered a brief speech and flagged off the convoy. Mr. H.S.Singh, CCF, Mr. Bhavin Vyas, DFO and Mr. Chaitanya Nimavat Hon. Wildlife Warden of Gandhinagar District was present to greet the event.
We started by our vehicles along with the camel carts. 10 camel carts full of plants went to 15 sectors on Saturday along with 3 volunteers and 2 persons from Forest Department. They moved on the main roads inside the sectors and distributed various types of plant to people and also convinced them to nurture a tree near their house. On the first day, we distributed around 10000 plants and on other day also the same. The old sectors from 16 to 30 and G.E.B.colony were covered on the first day and 1 to 15 was covered the other day. Thus we distributed more than 20000 plants in two days. People’s response was tremendous. Most of the carts were emptied in just one hour. That means people now want more trees. And if half of the trees grow out of which we have distributed, Our Gandhinagar soon will be the green most capital of the world once again.

Mission Plantation-2 (Eco club)

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Vanshree Trust always emphasizes on growing more trees. They have established a tradition of planting trees on every memorable occasion. May be birthday or marriage anniversary or passing away of some beloved person, trees are planted to make the event memorable. Many of our students plant trees on each birthday. On the 4^th of July, it was our president Mrs. Anjana Nimavat’s birthday. She planted two trees and gifted 10 saplings as return gift to her relatives and friends. During last 12 months, more than 30 plants are gifted as ‘shradhanjali’. We try to spread this message to maximum people. In this context, we run ‘eco clubs’ in schools. Last Saturday, the 3^rd of July, eco club at sector 28, Government Primary School has been started in collaboration with Lioness Club Gandhinagar.

In his speech, The Hon. Wildlife Warden (Gandhinagar) and Hon. Secretary of Vanshree, Shri Chaitanya Nimavat told about the benefits of having a tree at their school or house compound. He told, “Tree is not only a living thing, respect it as a friend. Just think that you are having a friend, which will sustain for more than 100 years. And until it is there, it will continue to benefit you and your surroundings. You have not to spend money for that friend. It just need a little care from your side.” He also gave example of a small town near Bhagalpur Dist, Bihar. In the village, people plant a mango tree when a daughter is born. They just keep the income aside which is useful at the time of her marriage. Now the village has its own forest of mango trees and people are very happy.

Mrs. Anjana Nimavat, President of Vanshree Trust promised to visit the school every month to teach various nature related activities including field visit. She also celebrated her birthday with these students. The students are very poor and most of them come from labour class family. No organisation is much interested doing activities in such schools. In that manner, Vanshree Trust and Lioness Club, Gandhinagar are doing an appreciable work.