Patna Jesuit Society run Tarumitra, ‘friends of trees’ kicked off the annual ‘forest festival’ celebrations or ‘Van Mahotsav’ in its ‘bio-reserve forest’ at Digha, Patna on July 27, with invited cildren, interns, volunteers and Tarumitra members.
Mr. Tripurari Sharan, who is the Principal Secretary of the Environment and Forest department, Govt. of Bihar inaugurated the festival. Some 125 tiny tots from the nursery wing of Delhi Public School along with the teachers and non teaching staff participated in Van Mahotsav with great enthusiasm.
The programme started with prayer song and nature poetry beautifully performed by the tiny tots of Delhi Public School. The teachers also sang a song titled “Vasundhara” which set the perfect tone for Van Mahotsav celebrations. The Principal Secretary, while addressing the audience became nostalgic and addressed the tiny tots as his grandchildren. He then performed an aarti with the chanting of mantras under our Mother Tree, Kamroop.
He himself applied ‘tilak’ (a ceremonial auspicious mark) made of mud paste (mitti) to the tiny tots who then proceeded to the ‘Panchvati forest area’ of Tarumitra Bio reserve for plantation. Along with the kids of Delhi Public School, Mr. Tripurari Sharan planted a rare ‘Bangalore Violet’ sapling.
The chief guest appreciated the idea of inviting small kids from the city to the bio-reserve where they can get their first hands-on feel of nature.
Delhi Public School presented an asparagus plant in a beautifully painted earthen pot as an’ adopted family member’ of the Tarumitra forest. Students brought placards having green slogans of ‘each one plant one’,’ trees are our best friends’, ‘no trees no life’ etc.
Jesuit Father Robert Athickal SJ, and staffers Margaret Molomoo, Debopriya Dutta, Shashi Darshan, D N Prasad, interns and volunteers were present during this occasion.