The events lined up for the Coimbatore Vizha began on a green note on the first day of the New Year at the Uzhavar Sandhai at R.S. Puram.
Nizhal Maiyam volunteers distributed saplings free of cost to those who went to the farmers' market to purchase vegetables.
“We purchased close to 1,000 saplings for distribution,” says B. Murugan, founder of the non-government organisation. The volunteers, mostly college students, distributed maghizham, vembu, pungan, naval, chakra pazham and a few other variety of saplings.
The volunteers did not stop with that. They also noted down the name and numbers of those who collected saplings for follow-up action. “We want to ensure that they take good care of and nurture well the saplings,” he says. “The monitoring will be a continuous process.”
Nizhal Maiyam spent a couple of thousand Rupees to purchase the saplings and distribute the same free of cost. It is the organisation's contribution in a small measure to Coimbatore.
Daniel Joseph reflected Mr. Murugan's thoughts. “Am taking home two saplings to contribute my bit to Coimbatore,” says the Kovai Pudur resident. He is a regular to the farmers' market.
For M. Varsha, a class VII student of Stanes Higher Secondary School, taking a sapling home turned out to be very significant. “I have never planted a sapling,” she says in all excitement. “Am doubly glad because this happens to be the first day of the New Year. My aim is to nurture the sapling so that it grows into a beautiful tree. I shall grow with it.”
