DINDIGUL
Rows and rows of trees sway in the breeze, inside the campus of M.V. Muthiah Arts and Science College in Dindigul, presenting a sight of pleasant greenery. A tanker with pipes fitted on either side go around, watering the trees.
Three years of effort by a voluntary organisation in creating a botanical garden inside the college campus has borne fruit. Philanthropist and industrialist members of Dindi-Ma-Vanam planted over 4,500 trees of 130 species in 20 acres of land at the college in 2016 and today it’s a small oasis of greenery in the town.
“More than 85% of the trees are native species, except for a few exotic species as we wanted to make it a botanical garden with a rich variety. This patch of land was barren and unused for a long time. Due to lack of water and the presence of porous rocks in three feet depth under the soil, the growth of the trees is slow. Yet, we ensure watering four times a week through tankers. The botanical garden is now used by students to learn and appreciate trees,” said M. Rajaram, Assistant Professor of English.
The garden is replete with native trees like hill neem, banyan, Arjuna tree, Mahua tree, gooseberry, manoranjitham and mul seetha to trees of commercial value such as teak, rosewood, red sander, sandal wood and mahogany. There are also fruiting and flowering trees of different kinds.
Apart from this, the garden has two Miyawaki patches with over 150 trees in each of the patch. “Miyawaki, the Japanese technique of creating a rainforest ecosystem in a small piece of land, is often called an oxygen factory. The presence of a variety of plants inside a minimum space attracts insects, reptiles and birds. We dug a two-foot-deep pit, measuring 20 feet in length and 15 feet by breath, filled it with biodegradable vegetable waste and let it compost for two months, after which the trees were planted. Trees planted in Miyawaki method have seen a better growth,” explained Rajaram.
Dindi-Ma-Vanam has planted over 1,30,000 trees across the district, including 10,000 trees within Dindigul town. The organisation has created botanical gardens inside Government ITI on Natham Road with 2,500 trees and inside Armed Reserve Grounds with 1,500 trees. They have also saved many old trees from seeing the axe in road widening works by transplanting them inside protected campuses.
