School children tying rakhi to a tree in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: In a unique effort on Raksha Bandhan, a team of volunteers initiated a campaign to tie ‘rakhi’ to trees and plants to drive the message of nature and tree conservation. During ‘Vrukshabandhan’, the students pledge to nurture and protect a Plant. Vrukshabandhan is an initiative by Lingaraj Niduvani and Team to involve students and youth in the efforts to safeguard our trees and green cover and thereby protect nature.
As part of this statewide effort spread across several cities, many prominent local personalities were part of the event along with the students. Just as a brother pledges to protect his sister on Rakshabandhan, here each pledges to protect a plant for life. Students of several schools and colleges readily became part of this movement.
Students of Sri Kumareshwara High School in Hanagal tied rakhi to a plant and pledged that they will plant and protect trees. Vrukshabandhan was celebrated inside the premises of the Dharwad Karnataka University Hostel where students planted saplings of various trees and also tied rakhi to plants. Shivsharan Parappagol who was part of the event here says that plants and trees have a strong bond with humans just as brothers and sisters. They give us oxygen and also provide us with shelter. Each of us should have concern for nature as pure air is as important as food for us all. If we don’t have trees, we will not have oxygen to survive. Cutting down trees has resulted in environmental disasters and we need to learn from it, he said.
Similarly tiny tots of Samshi Training Centre in Hiregunjal of Dharwad district observed Rakshabandhan by tying rakhi to brothers and sisters and also to plants and trees in the vicinity. Inspired by the efforts in Karnataka, many students and teachers in Ananthapuram district of Andhra Pradesh also got together and observed Vrukshabandan by tying rakhis to plants and trees near their homes.
‘Selfies’ and group photos marking ‘Vrukshabandan’ trended on social media platforms for more than a day. Many inspired by these posts, initiated similar campaign in their areas and posted the images of the same. Lingaraj Niduvani and many of the volunteers who are part of this initiative are also part of Samartha Bharata’s 1-crore saplings plantation drive that was organised across Karnataka. The saplings planted during this drive had grown and were ideal to be chosen for ‘Vrukshabandan’ initiative and also to drive the message of conservation of the nature. — Bengaluru Bureau
