Guest post by Niharika Kamewal on planting with schools – 29th July

Save trees, save life…is the prime requirement and responsibility for each and every individual living on this planet. So I, being a part of ‘Millennium city- Gurgaon’ decided to contribute to this cause which is of utmost importance. My passion for nature and love for Mother Earth made me choose to volunteer for I am Gurgaon.

It was Wednesday, our Social Innovation Program day; we headed to the Aravali Bio Diversity Park to volunteer with school kids for planting, in what can be described as majestic monsoon weather. With a cloudy sky, enthusiastic kids with cheerful faces and the feeling of making a difference to the society as common goal, we started with tree plantation. First, we were given a full fledged demonstration on how to plant a sapling, so we could in turn assist others in planting these tender saplings. Basic planting technicalities were taught in the demo session, such as holding the plant from bottom while planting so its root ball doesn’t get damaged, the correct depth at which it should be placed in the pit, checking the soil while filling the pit for grass roots, taking out big stones if any because it won’t let the roots grow and the right amount of water we should pour in while planting (should be 5-10 liters). This helped me a lot while teaching plantation to the school kids. The kids then planted a variety of plants like Dhok, Anjeer , Doodhi, etc. which are all native floral inhabitants of the Aravali Hills.

The zeal for turning this city green in the heart of every ‘I am Gurgaon’ volunteer is amazing, which will surely help in the process of restoring the flora and fauna of these rocky ridges. Everyone’s   participation was commendable and worth praising .Looking forward to plant many more trees on 15^th August.

HAPPY PLANTING…