Anvesh Killamsetty, a mechanical engineer, has been fond of being amid greenery since his childhood. Both his parents were green crusaders and they had inculcated in him a sense of concern for the environment, to keep it clean and green. “My mom was the reason why I was always drawn towards the green cause,” says Anvesh, a volunteer at Bakul, a children’s library and an organisation that champions social causes.
A part of plantation drives since college days, Anvesh feels he never got the right support he wanted from his peers. “All my college mates were busy in their own lives. So I had no support but I did whatever little I could, and in our sprawling green gardens in the college, I have planted many trees,’’
explains Anvesh.
He got associated with Bakul because the place gave him the right opportunity to serve the community. He facilitates story-telling sessions for children at the library, is a story-teller himself, works for various causes and makes sure to be a part of plantation drives that
Bakul organises.
“I also look after logistics. A Tree for Free road show was organised on a bullock cart in the city on September 14. The decorated bullock cart, laden with saplings, moved around the city. About 20 volunteers of Bakul accompanied the cart, mobilised a crowd and motivated the curious onlookers to take the saplings from them and plant them. I was a part of the drive,’’ he says.
Born and brought up in Jeypore in Koraput district of Odisha, Anvesh says his fascination for plants arose from spending his childhood in the countryside amid greenery in Jeypore. “In fact, I would love to be in the social sector. My Engineering degree is just a degree for me, but my interest lies in doing something for the community in general,” says Anvesh.
kasturi@newindianexpress.com