As the area of the city is increasing, the greenery of trees and plants is also decreasing. The elders tell how earlier there was less urbanization and there used to be open and green environment around the house. But even in this concrete jungle, if we want, we can bring some greenery. If we plant some saplings at different places like roadside, office and school grounds, then greenery can be brought around. As this tree lover group from Ahmedabad is doing.
It is said that the shadow of elders protects us like a big tree. But these elders of this group are really doing the work of giving cool shade to the people.
Due to his love for nature, he started plantation work about four years ago. And today the Bimanagar area of the city has been made green. Ramesh Dave and Kirit Dave are retired in this group of four. While Dr. Tarun Dave is a cardiologist, Vikram Bhatt is an electrical engineer by profession.
The Better India learned from them how their group was formed and how they all work together.
Group formed due to love of nature
However, all these four were already doing plantation work at their own level. The oldest member of the group, Ramesh Dave, is a Gujarati litterateur and a follower of Gandhian ideology. After retirement in 2009, he had made trees and plants his true friend. He has been working for many years collecting seeds of plants growing in Gujarat and growing them in public places. His house is no less than a small laboratory of botany. Not only this, he also grows plants from rare seeds and provides them to others.
Ramesh Dave says, “I have planted 2500 saplings in public places since 2009. Many of which have now become big trees of 20 to 25 feet. Wherever I get seeds from, I bring them home and prepare small plants and later plant them in empty public places. Now after joining this group, I am enjoying doing this work even more.”
Like Ramesh Dave, Kirit Dave has also been fond of plants since childhood. While on the job, he used to plant saplings in nearby public places even while in Rajkot. After retiring about ten years ago, when he came to Ahmedabad, he continued this work.
He says, “When I came to know that there are other people around who are planting like this, I contacted them and thus our group was formed.”
While talking about the story of meeting the group, Vikram Bhatt says, “Once I was planting a sapling on the side of the road, when Kirit Dave’s younger brother helped me and told that my elder brother is also like you. Nature lovers. Later on, I got to learn a lot from all this.”
On the other hand, Dr. Tarun Dave, who lives in Bimanagar, has been doing things like watering the plants regularly, planting saplings by the roadside, even though he is very busy in his work.
This group works for awareness among people
Along with planting saplings, these four people also add water and fertilizers etc. to it from time to time. They also do the work of spraying by making organic insecticides themselves when insects are infested in plants. Kirit explains, “We get wire boundaries etc. with the help of a local corporator to protect large plants. Whereas in some plants, for protection during summer, we get green cloth installed with our own money. Apart from this, we have also bought a rickshaw. Through which the work is done by filling water in big cans and pouring it on the plants.
Usually he plants trees like neem, peepal and jamun. At the same time, he takes information about some rare seeds from the Forest Department, Gandhinagar. From where they also get many plants. Which he later gets installed in the societies around him.
One such rare plant is that of vermilion, whose seeds he collected and later through social media reached 450 people across the country.
Describing this as an achievement of his group, Kirit Dave says, “The vermilion offered to God is usually chemical, whereas we get organic vermilion from this plant. We are glad that we have taken this to the people across the country.”
New generation connected with nature
This group not only grows plants itself, but also works to create awareness about the environment among children and others. During the summer vacation, he gives information about the trees and plants to the children of the area. Not only this, children make friends with plants in play, so they advise children to adopt one plant at a time. After which the children do things like watering the plants, keeping cleanliness around them on their own responsibility. Many children actively participate in such activities.
Gunjan Trivedi, a resident of Bimanagar said about the Tree Lovers Group, “It gives us great pleasure to support the Tree Lovers Group in the work of plantation. The roads where there were only a couple of trees earlier, today there is good greenery there. If one tree breaks due to rain and strong wind, they plant four other trees in its place. Apart from this, if anyone wants to plant a sapling near his house, Ramesh Dave himself provides the plant.
Truly, these elders of the Tree Lovers Group are doing the work of giving cool shade to others. The Better India hopes that many people will take inspiration from this story and start planting trees in the vacant places around them.
Editing – G N Jha
Also read: Leave a job abroad, return to your city so that it can be made garbage free
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