Members of Jothi Madhar Sangam will snuff out 45 candles when it celebrates its anniversary in 2023, and before that event, it wants its members to find their green thumbs.
The women’s association wants each of its members to raise a kitchen or terrace garden, small or big.
Lakshmi Raghukumar, president, Jothi Madhar Sangam, reveals that this is a mandatory requirement so that
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members of the Sangam would be more convincing while promoting its initiative, Mission Clean, Vision Green.
The Sangam has 80-90 members across age groups spread across neighbourhoods.
“This is not a competition but we want everyone to participate in it, especially those who have not tried to grow plants, to understand the real essence of this greening initiative,” says Lakshmi. Once members raise their kitchen garden they are encouraged to inspire non-members.
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They are also encouraged to initiate tree planting on the roads in their colony and the plan is to plant 10,000 palm seeds in 2023 along the Adyar river bank in Ekkattuthangal. “We have currently planted 300 saplings,” says Lakshmi.
The Sangam is also distributing seeds to members. The core team plans to monitor the green drive and also conduct competitions to encourage people to give their best. They already have some members who are garden enthusiasts. For example, Vijaya Tulasiraman has raised one on the balcony of her apartment in TNagar.
For the Sangam’s 40th anniversary celebration, members were involved in a recycling initiative. Says Lakshmi, “We collected waste materials and made craft items out of them — again, this was done by all the members. Later, they volunteered with government schools to teach the craft to children.”