Ever considered pursuing conservation as an alternative career path? While you might not have; for Bengaluru-based radio professional RJ Raaj, the idea was always at the back of his mind — right from the age of 13! Roughly a decade and a couple of years later, his desire to contribute to the expansion of the green cover in namma city has finally materialised — the young nature enthusiast was recently nominated as a youth ambassador for change by Saytrees, a city-based NGO.
In a candid chat, he tells us more... “Kapil Sharma, the founder of the initiative and I used to compete against each other every year at the TCS World 10K Run In Costume since 2009. I’ve done a lot of tree planting in the past too. I visit at least 100 colleges a year for various activities and fests and most of them who tune into my radio show are youngsters. That said, since I have a tremendous footprint in colleges, I believe this is my way of giving back to nature — by motivating youngsters to plant trees this monsoon,” shares Raaj as a youth ambassador for the recently launched eco-friendly initiative.
There was always a ‘green’ side to his chipper personality, the 26 year old pipes, “As a kid, I used to go jogging around Sankey Lake. There used to be a nursery (not any more) and I was thrilled to see the forest behind Aranya Bhavan. I got closer to nature after I joined the BMSCE Mountaineering Club and we did a lot of tree planting in Turahalli during my school and college days.”
While the zesty extrovert holds a record of being a part of many student-run initiatives, Raaj also inspires youngsters for result-oriented programmes. “I’m quite the people’s person and I draw inspiration from the very belief that it’s just a wee bit of encouragement that is required to bring about a change.”
Unfazed by the hullabaloo about his association with the forthcoming initiative, he quips, “It’s a new challenge I’ve accepted – to ‘GREENIFY’ Bengaluru. Personally, I’ve always been keen on doing something for the environment and take things to my hands every time people lamented about how the Garden City has been converted into the garbage city.” Raaj also loves watching movies, especially first day first show at single screen theatres! I’m also an Adventure sports fan — trekking, river rafting and ski and athelete. I’m passionate about make time for it. I’m currently training at Kanteerava Stadium under coach Murali, and I hope to land a medal at the upcoming Masters Athletic meet.”
So what’s next on his radar, he says, “The idea is to create maximum awareness. I want to seize the opportunity and bust the myth surrounding being an environmentalist. I didn’t expect much. But am quite blown away by the response I’ve received. At the end, I want to acquaint every other Bengalurean to the fine art of tree planting, It’s therapeutic and exudes a feel good factor. Most of us plant but forget to check the survival rate of the tree. It’s important to make sure that they are planted in places where they can grow into big trees. I wish to get more proactive hands. Ten years down the line, I dream of farming in Chikmagalur the organic way!”
