Kaveri Dey :- Vanamahotshava which practically means planting of thusands of plants suppllied by local government during a specified period. The great sage Rabindranath Tagore, a man with prophetic foresight who first introdeuced this old Vedic Culture of ‘Briksha-Vandana’in Shantiniketan as a compulsary annual programme.
Vanomatshava in the festival of life. It was started in India, as a campaign to save mother earth. The name vanamotshava (the festival of trees) originated in July 1947 after a successful tree planting drive was undertaken in Delhi, in which national leaders like Jwaharlal Nehru, dr. Rajendraprashad and Abdul kalam Azam participated. The concept of this great festival for the nature lovers was first initiated by ( Late) K.M. Munsi, the then Union Minister for Food & Agriculture in the year 1950. He had said, “Trees mean water, water helps to grow Wheat and Bread, and it is bread that gives and sustains life. Without trees and forests Lord Indra’s clouds will not bless us. Without the water that water there can be no revers and no rain-fed forests. We must all understand and recognize that the sustenance of human life on this planet cannot be arrenged without trees.”
The reverence of forest conservation and preservation has been honored with due regards in our old scriptures of all religious the Vedas, Puranas and the Upanishads and the Ramayana and Mahabharata. But, ironically this is dismally a matter of pity that in today’s world this asset is going to be driven to the verge of extention globally, so to say heading towards death-knell. The axe and gun had over the years been the only tools in the hands of mad civilized man to eke out living not only for his need but more so for his greed.
The present day’s scenario, therefore, evokes us all be foresty consious to safeguard Mother earth. To honour this noble sentiment, the eco-club members of st. Peters’s School, mirabai Road, Durgapur celebrated Van Mahotsava on 29th July 2011 by organizing a short pregramme on the importance of Vanmahotshava. The vanmahotshava programme began with a welcome speech delivered by our revered Principal, Mr. Daniel Victor Thomas on the importaince of planting trees. Therefore, the students of class IX, Pratysha Chowdhury and Agni Behra, delivered an introductory speech on Vnamohtshava. This was followed by a presentation of short skit on “saving our trees” by the students of the primary and the secondery sections which was well appreciated by all. The skit was unique blend of drama, dance and poetry.
The students participated in the rendition of poem titled ‘Nature’s Divinity’ and ‘Nature’s Cry’. Students also participated in making placards,charts,posters and collages based on this theme. Thereafter, the venerated chief guest Dr. Ranu Mukherjee, a renowned Physician and Surgeon of Durgapur Steel Plant Hospital, presented her speech on the significance of celebrating this festival. Our respected Princuipal, Mr. Daniel Victor Thomas, honored her with a bouquet of flowers and with a preceless gift. The programme was concluded with the ceremonial plantation of saplings by the Chief Guest, the Principal and the Vice Principal. The teachers and students also participated in planting of saplings of trees around the school campus. The sincere effort of both teachers and students was acclaimed by our respected Principal.
Trees are among primitive man’s first deities. Not the last though, for even today in India, the Banana and Peepal trees are worshipped. If the nation has to survive, the philosophy of life must be understood not only in words, ideas or achievements but in terms which would replant us firmly on the Earth and under shady tree. Our forests, unlike any other natural wealth are renewable. Their protection and presentataion is as important as our life is to us. These have been victimized by human threat. Let us, therefore, embrace this precious gift bestowed upon us by the God and add essay competitions are not going to hold any good. We have to come up in practical sanctity and everyone,of us, irrespective of gender have to plant at least ten plants as the saying goes that’equal to ten wells is a tank; equal is a son and equal to ten sons is a tree’. And not only that we have not to abandon after planting but bring them up like our progenies with utmost affections.
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