Let there be Green

Our good ol' Bengaluru is blistering at 42 degrees and we are partly to blame for allowing trees to be chopped down. A number of young city folk are actively taking to tree planting drives and initiatives because, while they believe the best time to plant trees was 20 years ago, the second best time is now.

Remember when you opened a window and saw canopies of bright gulmohar? When was the last time you saw that? “Bengaluru is not the city from our childhoods – the one we used to invite guests over to, because it was the city with an inbuilt air conditioner. Now, I find myself asking them not to come over for at least six months in a year,” says 26-year-old Aastha Sahai. A volunteer who has actively been a part of tree plantation drives for six years now, she says that the effects will only show if everyone took responsibility. “It’s quite simple (and refreshing) really. At these drives, there are people to tell you how to do it, what and where to plant. All it takes is for you to show up,” she says.

If you thought that these tree drives were only in regions skirting around the city, you’re probably mistaken. This is happening in the heart of Bengaluru. And this is happening now. “From residential complexes and housing societies to schools, offices, army areas and by the side of railway tracks, we’ve found a place for them,” says Janet Yegneswaran. At 53,000 trees and counting, this lady has been at the helm of Treesforfree.org for over 11 years, planting native species to the tune of neem, arjuna, tecoma, jamun and wild mangoes, for instance. “We also make sure to plan trees where people are ready to look after them,” she tells us before assembling young volunteers for a tree plantation drive in Vasanth Nagar on April 23. “It’s also important to check with authorities like the BBMP and the forest cell to make sure that the lands we pick are waste lands and will have zilch developmental activity. Imagine planting a tree and nurturing it only to see it cut down five years later,” says 24-year-old Durgesh Agrahari. The head of projects at SayTrees, he says that his fellow youngsters are becoming increasingly responsible with their surroundings.

“That’s why we need to start young. We connect with schools and colleges and train them on the ground on what climate change is. It fosters sensitivity to trees,” he says, adding that most tree plantation drives will start when the monsoons hit in June. Advices have also been pouring on social media and the young have been taking it in stride too, like 22-year-old student, Nandini Krishnan. “This is the season for fruits like mango, jamun and jackfruit and I read a post that urged people to wash them and throw them in barren lands when they were traveling on highways. I may not join volunteering groups to plant trees, but this idea was ingenious. Only good can come out of it, right?” she says.