“The
best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago. The next best time is right now!”
Certainly,
unless we pursue trees like we follow religion, we will not be successful at conserving
them. ‘Van Mahotsav’ – celebrating trees in India was launched with the same
fervor by Shri Kanhaiyalal M. Munshi, the Union Minister for Agriculture and
Food in 1950.
Another
interesting thing that we could do is visit the lovely Forest Reserves,
Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks where there is abundance of trees.
Obviously, the amount we pay towards the entry fee (though not much) to these
places is used for their conservation. This way we also get to see the wildlife
that lives hand-in-glove with the forests.
~
Confucius (551-479 BC) – Chinese teacher, philosopher and politician.
Confucius
uttered this saying more than 2000 years back when the world had better
green-coverage than right now. I wonder what he would’ve said– seeing the
tree-coverage of the current world!
Van
Mahotsav is celebrated for a whole week each July during which time, the Forest
Departments, among other environmental organizations, corporates and even
individuals, plant lakhs of saplings of different plant-species all over the
country. Organizations spread awareness through various media about the
importance of trees on this planet. The first thing you can do to protect the
trees and the environment is to stop using plastic in all forms. Then find a
small spot around your home to plant a tree-sapling of your choice and water it
daily. Then urge 5 of your friends to do the same. Imagine if all of us were to
become ‘Tree Musketeers’ and protect and take ownership to grow more trees? We’d
be doing ourselves a big favour.
Van
Mahotsav is a quiet tree-revolution in progress. Either you participate
directly by getting involved in tree-planting this July or you be right where
you are and spread awareness via your computer. Blog about it or send tree E-cards
to your friends and colleagues. All this commotion around trees is bound to
have a positive impact on all sometime soon.
Among
all the places that you would find trees in, the Central Government ‘Protected Areas’ are by far the best places
in India which are home to some of the common as well as rare plant species –
all clustered together. Some of the popular Tree Haunts (Protected Areas) to
visit in India for inspiration or for sheer joy are:
2. Kaziranga National Park – Assam.
3. Jim Corbett National Park – Uttarakhand.
4. Gangotri National Park – Uttarakhand
5. Great Himalayan National Park – Himachal Pradesh
6. Indravati National Park – Chhattisgarh
10. Pench National Park - Maharashtra
Pix courtesy: Premabhakti.wordpress; sreyas-mg.blogspot; worldlandtrust; love-theearth.blogspot; twitsnaps.
