The second edition of Neralu, the citizen-led Urban Tree Festival is being organised on February 7, 8 and 14 at multiple venues.
Come February, Bengaluru’s trees burst into spectacular blooms. And Neralu, which means “shade” in Kannada, is being planned to coincide with the blooming season in the city. It will bring citizens together to celebrate the garden city’s natural heritage.
Bound by a common love for trees, naturalists, ecologists, artists, technologists, storytellers, homemakers, photographers, students and many more citizens from all walks of life have come together to put the festival together.
Dr. S Subramanya, HoD & Professor of Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences – Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (GKVK), Dr. M B Krishna, noted Bangalore-based ecologist and ornithologist, and Karthikeyan S, conservationist and Chief Naturalist at Jungle Lodges and Resorts Limited are lending their support and guidance to shape the festival.
Noted ecologists and historians of Bangalore including Dr KN Ganeshaiah (ecologist), Dr TV Ramachandra (Center for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bengaluru), Suresh Moona (author and historian) and Kiran Keswani (architect) have confirmed their participation.
The festival will celebrate trees in different localities and public spaces, from the traditional tree platforms or “Kattes”, to neighbourhood parks and streets that are part of our lives. Events are in collaboration with various institutions, networks and community groups.
Neralu is planned to be entirely crowd-funded by citizens, and participation in this citizen-initiated festival is free. Citizens interested in contributing to help set up Neralu can visit www.neralu.in/donate/
