KOCHI: Kakkanad, once synonymous with everything IT, has in recent years been relegated to ‘trash talks’ after a fire at the waste treatment plant in Brahmapuram on March 2, 2023, left a greater part of Kochi gasping for breath for weeks.
The incident threw light, among many things, on the fast-depleting green cover in the city as it makes giant strides to become a metropolis. Though several ‘band-aid’ campaigns have been launched since then, the Rajeevani initiative of Rajagiri College in Kakkanad deserves special mention.
The programme has seen a section of the campus designated as an ‘Oxygen Zone’ in 2014. Lush with greenery, this space improves air quality and enhances the overall well-being of the campus community.
“It was Fr A J Saviance’s vision that helped shape this project,” says Lakshmi K Raghavan, a Rajagiri faculty member.
“Every year, we introduce new initiatives to further augment this programme. Now, it is spearheaded by the college’s Nature Club.”
“The Oxygen Zone also comprises Rajeevanam, an eco-friendly herbal orchard with ayurvedic medicinal plants. There are 284 plant varieties here, including 28 found on the IUCN Red List and considered endangered, such as rudraksham,” says Annu James, a faculty member and coordinator of Nature Club.
In addition, there are 130 mahogany and 100 mango trees, a ‘pachakkari thottam’, a fruit garden, and a special section called Nakshatravanam (star forest) wherein specific trees co-relating with the 27 birth stars as per Indian astrology are planted.
The initiatives undertaken by the students include millet farming, creating biodiversity and fauna registers, and organising sapling distribution to nearby neighbourhoods. Efforts are also on to see this space serve as a research facility for botany students, Annu adds.
Pet corner
What further distinguishes the Zone is its inhabitants - 13 dogs, an aviary consisting of 19 birds, and hundreds of butterflies. “This pet corner is a mental relaxation spot for students, especially those who have come from faraway places and, of course, pet lovers,” says Sruthi U Pai, a faculty member and coordinator of the ‘Cuddles & Tails’ club at the college. Currently, there are 76 student members, two faculty members, and two staff to take care of the pets.
