Swami Samvidanand, a Haridwar-based seer hailing from Kerala, is on a mission to plant a billion trees in all districts in the country in 21 years.
The first phase of the drive was launched in June 2014 on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar and Rudraprayag in Uttaranchal. Now the seer has reached Attappady for the next phase, to plant trees on the banks of the Bhavani, which originates in Kerala and flows east to become the second largest river of Tamil Nadu.
The aim is to plant one crore trees in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Activists of Greenvein and Abheda Ganga Mayya Trust, the two voluntary organisations he leads, have started a nursery in Attappady with the support of the local tribal community. There is another nursery at Karamadai, near Coimbatore, in Tamil Nadu to grow trees to be planted on the banks till the river merges with the Cauvery in Erode district.
“I do not believe that spirituality is confined to the four walls of an ashram. Limiting it to rites is foolish. As a citizen of this country, I feel I should react to what’s happening around me and this drive is part of that engagement,” Samvidanand told The Hindu . The seer, hailing from Tripunithura, was concerned about the shrinking forest cover, rapid urbanisation, and changes in the environment right from his childhood.
A disciple of Swami Vishwesharanand Giri Maharaj of Haridwar, Samvidanand began garnering attention when he coordinated rehabilitation works in disaster-hit Rudraprayag.
The trusts adopted Barsu village in Rudraprayag, where a nursery has been opened. More than 1,000 varieties of plants are being grown there.
“Units have been formed in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Kerala. The movement ensures safe keeping of trees with the participation of local communities,” he said.
The movement has nurseries at Haridwar, Rudraprayag, Greater Noida, and Navupuli (Orissa), apart from the seven in Kerala.
'Half a dozen nurseries are to be set up in each State. Seeds would be supplied by Greenvein through its collection networks across India. The movement has 1,200 volunteers, most of whom were inspired by its social media interventions. Trees are planted in public places as well as in individual properties for free.
“We keep a track of the trees planted, by asking people to post pictures of the sapling at regular intervals. People are reluctant to take up such initiatives because they do not have a proper platform,” says Samvidanand.
