This Pune Village Fought Against Drought By Planting Trees On Every Possible Occasion, Even Deaths!

A small village near Pune has become the torchbearer of the state government's massive tree plantation drive-this year, between July 1 and 31, 13 crore saplings will be planted across Maharashtra.

Ranmala, a village in Khed taluka, was drought prone. Today, Ranmala is water sufficient and it owes its transformation to retired school teacher P T Shinde who embarked on the project in 2003.

Shinde's model was an inclusive one. He roped in other villagers and families were given a sapling to mark celebrations such as birth, or marriage and even on occasions such as death.

Establishing this unique connection ensured that the family nurtured the sapling like its own, making the survival rate very high.

Shinde's model has now found favour with the state government which has asked all gram punchayats and municipal councils to adopt it.

"We visited the village and found this idea was working very well. If there was a birth in anyone's house, they would be gifted a sapling- 'Janm Vruksha' (birth tree) and the family was expected to take care of the sapling as they would the baby. Similarly, for a death in a family, a 'Smruti Vruksha' (tree of remembrance), 'Maherichi Zhadi' or 'Shubh Mangal Vruksha' (auspicious tree) for weddings and 'Anand Vruksha' for special occasions would be given," said principal secretary of the forest department, Vikas Kharge.

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The USP of the model is the emotional bond that it developed between the villagers and the trees they planted.

In the past 15 years, nearly two lakh saplings have been planted on open land in and around the village. Most of these trees are fruit bearing.

He also said that the government has issued a government resolution asking all villages and councils to adopt the Ranmala model. He also said that they have asked officials to prepare a list of occasions that fall in the four categories for the families living in their villages and those families will be given a sapling in a ceremony on July 1. Officials said the government will also give a name plate so that the family can name the tree it plants after a newborn or a lost one. They also said as part of the tree plantation drive, all the saplings will be geo-tagged.

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"There are instances of a sapling being planted when a baby was born and the child, who is now a teenager, taking care of the tree and also relishing it fruits," said Kharge.

Shinde said that the village has received several awards for its model, but the state government adopting the model has been its greatest achievement and villagers are extremely proud of their contribution.