The stunning and powerful youtube video by Reforest India on River Kaveri, in three different languages: Kodava Takk, Kannada and Tamizh, sends out a powerful message, and thus has gone viral on Facebook. Vinod Lal Heera Eshwer, trustee of Reforest India, says: “As the title of the video suggests: This is the story of Kaveri (and every river everywhere). Instead of fighting over river sharing, we must look within to know how to make a difference. Without forests rivers, cannot exist.”
His commitment and passion to saving river Kaveri has led him to ask people to plant a tree if they really want to save the dying river. “Likes and shares won’t save Kaveri. Stop deforestation and start to reforest. Both these go hand-in-hand." The initiative is a clarion call to action “to save Kaveri one tree. One person. One heart at time.”
Vinod says you can plant a tree. “But even if you can't, you can donate money for a tree to be planted in someone's name and honour. “
Reforest India is a renaming of a path-breaking tree planting initiative Trees for Free, which was started in Bengaluru, by Janet in 2005, in honour of her husband. Thousands of trees were planted ever since and Reforest India further wants to expand the impact.
"We are not interested in numbers, statistics and targets," says Vinod, author of Let's catch the rain and Let's Plant Trees , who has been an eco-warrior and has empowered people to take action instead of just paying lip service to the cause of the environment.
"We are not interested in fund raising, to borrow a term, we are interested in 'friend raising'.”
Arjun Ranga Rao, CEO and managing director of Cycle Pure Agarbathies, donated a huge amount only because he strongly believes in the cause. “I didn’t look at it as a CSR activity. My grandfather N. Ranga Rao had dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur in Coorg and in 1948 moved to Mysuru and made that dream a reality. So as a family, we want to give back to Coorg.”
“Plant a tree today, for someone you love, for the love of children, and for the love of mother earth,” concludes Vinod. For details visit: http://reforestindia.in.
