When 33-year-old Saroj Kant Biswal asked his prospective in-laws for a 1, 000 saplings as dowry, his demand was met with astonishment and consternation, not least from his own parents.
But an extravagant marriage procession to a venue decked with flower arrangements, accompanied by the bursting of fire crackers had never been the concept of a dream wedding for the school teacher from Balabhadrapur village in Kendrapara.
When his marriage proposal was first discussed Mr. Biswal’s only condition was a gift of a 1,000 saplings.
Support of fiancée
Despite objections, Mr. Biswal a member of ‘ Gachha Tie Sathi Tie (a tree is a friend)’ campaign for promoting afforestation and tree planting, remained firm in his demand. Fortunately, he found support from his fiancee, Rashmirekha, also a teacher.
When their wedding took place on June 22, his in-laws came to the venue with a truck-load of saplings, mainly of fruit trees.
Distributed saplings
Mr. Biswal took time off from the marriage rituals and distributed saplings among fellow villagers. Guests, who came to bless the couple were given saplings as return gifts.
“I am against any form of dowry. I wanted to spread the message of tree protection. And what could have been better occasion than my marriage to convince my fellow villagers that they should take tree plantation seriously,” said Mr. Biswal.
“As we both are teachers, our students will definitely be motivated by our gesture. I would urge others to think of other innovate ways to spread the message so that our planet gets back its green cover,” he said.
