"Van Mahotsava - towards a greener India."

Let's pledge to leave a legacy of a green earth to our future generations. Let's save trees. Celebrate "Van Mahotsava" with us.

Van Mahotsava is celebrated throughout the country in the first week (1st to 7th) of July every year. Every year lakhs of saplings of different tree species are planted with active involvement of government agencies like the Forest department. The first ever national awakening to the necessity of planting trees and attempts at tree rehabilitation on a national scale, came in July 1947, with a successful tree plantation drive in Delhi. This was the first tree plantation festival of India in which national leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Abdul Kalam Azad participated along with many others. The main objective of celebrating tree plantation week was to focus people's attention on the national importance of planting trees and to make them tree-conscious. This objective was fulfilled to great extent by the first plantation drive. There was a scramble for seedlings at the nurseries and in many states the week was celebrated in a well organized manner.

In the early 50's this movement was renamed by late Shri K. M. Munshi, noted educationist and nature lover, during his tenure as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Massive tree plantation drives were conducted with active involvement of the local population. People should definitely know the importance of trees in their lives and the observance of the festival should not become a mere ritual. The festival is not confined to cities and towns alone, it has seeped into the villages too, bringing home to the villagers the idea that trees mean better crops, better living conditions, better cattle and a more beautiful village.

The Van Mohotsava is not like the other religious festivals, lasting for a day or two and thereafter developing into token rituals devoid of any meaning. It is a symbol of unending movement towards a greener India!

 

By July, the SouthWest Monsoon affects the entire country. The time is just right for any kind of plantation activity or seed dispersal. The importance of trees in purifying the air, as natural resources, maintaining the ecological balance, preventing soil erosion, as medicines, habitats for faunal species, providing nutrients to the soil etc. is well known. People from all over the country gear up for planting trees at public parks, roads, railway platforms, hospitals, universities, colleges, schools, housing colonies, degraded forest areas, sacred groves around the villages etc. But mere planting of trees will not help. Proper care has to be taken of the saplings planted. Following points should be noted while doing tree plantations, anywhere in the country:

· The area selected should be relatively free from vandalism.
· As far as possible, the trees of Indian Forests should be propagated and planted. Trees like   Eucalyptus,Australian Acacia, Lantana, Lucena, Mast tree (False Ashoka) should be avoided.
· Tree guards should be provided for roadside plantations.
· Saplings should be watered regularly during times of a dry spell.
· Well-drained deep sandy loams are best suited for plant growth.
· Soil or plantation area should be free of construction waste, debris etc.
· An occasional dose of organic manure like cow-dung or vegetable litter will result in good sturdy plants.
· Schools and colleges should adopt "one child one plant" scheme, where the responsibility of growing the   plant lies with the   student. This will be a learning experience for the student as well.