IT’S easy to mistake the little patch of green on the busy Virugambakkam street for a nursery. Saplings, carefully stored in little black plastic bags, sit daintily under the watchful eye of Mullaivanam.
But the only difference between a regular nursery and this little patch of green is the fact that the plants aren’t for sale. They’re free for anyone who wishes to grow them in their backyard, garden or street. “I give out saplings free for anyone who wishes to take them,” says G Mullaivanam who has been engaged in this social service for the last fifteen years. A farmer by profession, the urge to give back to nature prompted him to start out his little venture.
Get talking to Mullaivanam and you understand how he is a vast treasure house of knowledge when it comes to trees and the environment. “When we are born into this earth, we are endowed with gifts by nature in the form of trees and rivers. It’s up to us to preserve what we’ve been given for free,” he says, as he explains about the various saplings. “I’ve been doing this service for some time but when my wife died, I took it up in a big way in her memory as she was a lover of nature too,” he adds.
With volunteers across the city to help him out, Mullaivanam get about ten calls a day to plant trees. “When we plant trees, we request people to look after it by educating them on how to do so. We even provide tree guards for the ones we plant on the streets,” he says.
Besides entertaining requests to plant trees, Mullaivanam also plants trees for people’s birthdays and anniversaries. “Whenever I meet someone, I make note of important dates and plant trees on their behalf,” he says.
“Wood is good” is his motto in life. Making our city a greener place is something Mullaivanam does, entirely by his own will and love for the environment. A service that is done in the hope that the coming generations will find our city a better place to live in.
If you want a patch of green in your home, you can contact him at: 9789892080 or 9382184310.
