HT Correspondent
JORHAT, Jan 28: The Hemolota Handique Trust of Jorhat, Assam, launched its ‘My School Trees’ (Mor School, Mor Gos) campaign on Monday in Kandhulimari Lower Primary School, which is located in West Block of Golaghat district.
At the event, Kalyan Deep Bora and Bibhu Choudhuri, Forest Officers, Eastern Range Agoratoli spoke to the children on the topic ‘Flora and Fauna of Kaziranga National Park’ which was both educative and enlightening. The programme was also attended by members of the local community.
The Trust has launched this project to sensitise school students about the importance of trees in saving wildlife and its positive impact on climate risk mitigation. Several trees were planted by the students of the school, species that are native to the Agoratoli Range and which have been selected and donated by the Kaziranga National Park.
“The objective of the ‘My School Trees’ campaign is not to plant trees alone, but also keep track of these trees for a couple of years and see that they survive and thrive. The idea is not to go for a massive plantation drive, but focus on raising a few select trees that would grow well with aftercare. This is an experiment, and we will see how it goes” said Surajit Sharma, a Trustee of the Hemolota Handique Trust.
The Trust has provided durable fencing material for the saplings and more significantly, appointed a ‘Mother Tree’ (Brikkho Ma), a local resource person. The school can contact the ‘Mother Tree’ for tree care advice and solutions, and request for replacement if any of the tree saplings is not doing well. Local resident of Kandhulimari village, Rashmi Baruwa, has been selected as the ‘Mother Tree’ of the Kandhulimari Lower Primary School.
“We are honoured to collaborate with Kandhulimari LP. School for this green initiative, which is a small step to inculcate in children that every small step in planting and saving trees matters to save wildlife, prevent floods, reduce pollution and improve air quality in Assam,” said Trustee Maitreyee Handique. “I would like to thank all the local volunteers and the school’s dynamic teachers, Gunu Deka and Pallabi Baruah, for encouraging the children to love nature and wildlife”.
The chairman of the Trust, Tapan Chandra Dutta, is a retired professor of Assam Agriculture University, who has undertaken several initiatives to promote tree planting activities with children. The other trustees are Gautam Barooah and Upanga Dutta.