The Times of India Green Drive

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. - Albert Einstein The students of classes VIII to X of The Indian School took part in The Times of India- Green Drive at Astha Kunj near Nehru Place on 7th August 2015. Delhi became a few shades greener when students from five schools across Delhi took part in the plantation drive, our School being one of them. The Times of India initiative, along with Hero MotoCorp and DDA, is a genuine effort to combat pollution and take a step towards maintaining the ecological balance in Delhi NCR, by focusing on the single most critical element in the sustenance of life on Earth A Tree. The students were required to plant at least two trees in a park as big as 154 acres and were helped by the benevolent team of The Times of India, who aimed at planting as many as 1 lakh trees under the Green Drive. Officials from the horticulture department of DDA, who were present at the venue, said that tree species like bottle palms, pistal palm, pilkhon, fistula palms were some of the trees selected keeping their habitat in mind.

There were many gardeners who showed us how to plant saplings and helped us to do the same. We planted different saplings in soil which was already dug. We tightened the soil around the plants and finally watered them. After some moments of hard work, we saw the saplings planted by us proudly standing firm on the ground. Our School was the first to arrive for the noble cause. We were soon joined by the Delhi Public School R.K.Puram, Amity International School Saket, Bloom Public School and Ryan International School Vasant Kunj. The students were then allowed to stroll through the park and enjoy the beauty of nature. The weather that was thankfully pleasant, added to our delight. A talk was conducted by one of the members of The Times of India team. We were told about the deteriorating condition of the air in Delhi and about some trees like eucalyptus and keekar, which are harmful for the environment as they absorb ground water and bring down the level drastically. After a photo session with our saplings in the backdrop, we unwillingly bid goodbye to the TOI team and to our beloved trees. We were encouraged to come back and take care of the saplings by watering them regularly. I firmly believe that all of us in our own way can reduce our carbon emissions by ways such as planting trees, car pooling, using public transport, saving paper etc. Let us all take a step forward towards a greener future. -Bhavika Sharma XC.