Stanley medicos have green hands

 

Chennai: Green life leads to healthy living is the mantra guiding the green brigade movement of Stanley medical college. The young medicos have not only set up a nursery inside their campus, they are also offering saplings free to interested persons. 

 

The medicos have named their movement ‘Green Hands’ primarily aimed at spreading the green cover in the city that is fast depleting. “The motive was to encourage all people in the city to grow trees near their residence. Many have space but do not have knowledge or interest to buy a sapling. So we decided to maintain and give the sapling free of cost to people interested in the concept,” said G. Tamil Kumaran, second-year MBBS student.

 

Green Hands initiative was started way back in 2008 and the movement has grown exponentially every year on the campus. Medicos say tending to and maintaining the nursery helps relieve stress for them. “We manage the nursery fully with the help of student volunteers and our juniors are ever willing to help. Moreover, tending to plants is one of the best ways to relieve our stress and this place helps a lot in junior-senior interaction,” said T.P. Aishwaraya, second-year student.

 

Green Hands members said the club operates with a strength of over 100 pupils. “We have divided ourselves into different groups and every batch takes care of the nursery when their turn comes. Of late, there is good response from schools and a few colleges as they regularly seek our saplings,” said T. Mahalakshimi, a third-year student.

 

Students said the club helps instil environmental consciousness among the budding medical graduates. We offer them saplings free of cost. We can provide minimum of 10 up to 500 saplings. If a group is able to assure us that the saplings would be taken care of properly, we offer them free,” explained N. Keerthana, another second-year student.

 

Though the vibrant club maintains eight varieties of saplings, financial constraints continue to hinder their vision. “Every year, we organise afforestation programmes, and we are managing from the funds from our own pockets with financial juggling. We are always open for donations which will help us to expand,” said third-year student N. Karthick.

 

For free saplings, please contact - 8056839340, 9789226685.