Hyderabad: The students and teachers in some of the schools, colleges and universities are celebrating ‘Rakshabandhan‘ as ‘Vrukshabandhan‘ this year. They are tying ‘Rakhis‘ to saplings and trees, pledging to protect them for the next one year.
The students of various government schools and colleges in Telangana have demonstrated their will to protect trees by doing so for the past couple of days.
The students of Mirzapur Zila Parishad Government High School in Kosgi mandal of Narayanpet district, several other government and private schools, Mahatma Gandhi University in Nalgonda, Palamuru University in Mahabubnagar, Telangana University in Nizamabad, Government City College in Hyderabad, and Government Degree and PG College in Siddipet- tied Rakhils to trees on Friday, August 8.
The initiative is part of a collaborative effort of Council for Green Revolution (CGR) and Vandemataram Foundation.
More schools and colleges in Telangana are expected to follow suit on Saturday, when Rakshabandhan festival will be celebrated across the country.
According to R Venkatesh, a representative of Vandemataram Foundation, 20 villages in 13 districts of Telangana, in addition to colleges and universities are taking part in Vrukshabandhan.
“The idea is to build a relationship between the students, teachers and parents, to build a relationship with the trees, by not only tying Rakhis at their institutions, but also at their homes,” Venkatesh told Siasat.com.
He said that the campaign sought to protect the saplings planted as part of Haritha Haram in various institutions, so that they could be protected.
It needs to be seen whether the campaign is just going to be a photo-op just like the Haritha Haram, or if those tying these Rakhis will really protect them, like those who were part of the Chipko Movement in the present Uttarakhand, who risked their lives to save the trees in the 1970s.
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