TIRUPPUR: For a district synonymous with ‘making’ clothes, the knitwear capital of Tiruppur has also been quietly ‘growing’ something as a homage to the former President APJ Abdul Kalam.
The pledge of planting 1.25 lakh saplings, ‘Vanathukkul Tiruppur’, made at a tribute gathering for Kalam in 2015, soon turned into a 100-day achievement. It was not a one-time gesture but a continuing green movement with the Vetry NGO planting nearly 2.5 million trees across Tiruppur district between 2015 and 2025. The initiative comes at a time when climate change is no longer an abstract global concern but an increasingly local one, felt through heat, changing rainfall patterns and natural disasters closer to home.
Established in 2001, ‘Karuvampalayam Green Park Trust’ became ‘Andipalayam Green Park Promotion Trust’ in 2004. However, the NGO soon began operations under the name ‘Vetry’ (which stands for Voluntary Organisation for People Empowerment of Rural Areas by Youth) in 2007.
“Upholding APJ Abdul Kalam’s words that every person should plant and nurture at least five trees in their lifetime, we announced a project to plant 1.25 lakh saplings at the event. We did not stop at that; we immediately began the work. Since we did not have much experience then in planting, we simply planted saplings wherever we obtained permission. The target was achieved within 100 days with the support of the Tiruppur industrial community,” TR Sivaram, founder of Vetry and managing director of Royal Classic Mills Pvt. Ltd, said. Following the success, Vetry planted nearly 2.5 million trees between 2015 and 2025, and has now set a target of planting three lakh trees this year.
The initiative has also become more cost-effective over the years. “Earlier, it cost us Rs 200 to plant a sapling. We have now brought it down to Rs 70,” said Sivaram. Farmers and the public can approach Vetry to plant saplings on their land free of cost. The organisation conducts soil tests, recommends suitable species, and helps landowners access government subsidies for drip irrigation. It only expects them to provide water and fencing for the saplings.
Vetry also maintains records of the planted trees, including the species and locations, and shares the data annually with the district administration and forest department. Its staff have also been trained in tree maintenance by government researchers, Sivaram said. “This is also one of the reasons for the success of the initiative,” he added.
The green movement is only one part of Vetry’s environmental work. The NGO has been involved in waterbody conservation since its early years. In 2005, it took up the restoration of an abandoned Public Works Department tank in Andipalayam and revived the main canal that carries water from the Noyyal River to the 70-acre tank. The restoration was completed in 2013 and has continued to be maintained since then.
“The restoration has helped raise groundwater levels within a 5-km radius, while the tank has also become a habitat for several bird species and a popular attraction in Tiruppur,” said Nataraj Muthusamy, CEO of Vetry.
The organisation has now turned its attention to the Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary, where it is removing water hyacinth from the 400-acre tank. Work has so far covered 140 acres. Though the initial estimate was Rs 10 lakh, Vetry expects the cost to rise substantially as the work progresses. It also plans to join hands with other voluntary organisations to restore the Nallaru river. “Whenever we take up water-body restoration, we involve the government and the public. Such projects cannot be sustained without community participation,” Muthusamy said.
Vetry’s work has also received corporate recognition. Japanese company Komatsu has donated two excavators to the organisation for waterbody restoration. One has been deployed in Madurai and has been used to restore 11 large ponds. The NGO spends around Rs 3.5 crore annually on its various initiatives, with CSR funding from the corporate sector, banks and contributions from the public, Muthusamy said.
Their work extends beyond environmental conservation, with the NGO also branching into education and other areas of social welfare. Its 10-year intervention at Iduvampalayam Government Higher Secondary School is one of its most significant initiatives. In 2006, the school approached Vetry seeking help to install toilet doors.
But founder TR Sivaram revealed that the school faced far more serious infrastructure needs. He subsequently purchased eight acres of land adjoining the school with support from The Chennai Silks. A 24-classroom block and a compound wall were built, and the NGO has also funded additional teachers by contributing Rs 1 lakh each month towards their salaries.
“The number of students has increased from around 400 to over 3,600. Ten students from the school have cleared NEET this year,” said Muthusamy.
Its welfare initiatives also include the development of a 12-acre Bamboo Park at Iduvai in Tiruppur, featuring 50 varieties of bamboo, organic farming and offering free training to farmers.
Through these years, Kalam’s simple call to plant and nurture trees has found a lasting expression in Tiruppur, not just in the millions of saplings put into the soil, but in the communities being encouraged to care for them and the environment around them. In a district built on making, Vetry’s quiet legacy is, quite literally, one of growing.
(Edited by Swarnali Dutta)