TIRUCHY: On July 27, 2015, India lost APJ Abdul Kalam, one of the country’s finest scientific minds and, arguably, the most loved President. Among the billion that mourned his death were a 31-year-old schoolteacher Srimalaiyappan B and a 29-year-old insurance sales manager Naga Balaji D, residents of Pudukkottai town.
In the days following Kalam’s death, the duo noted how social media became abuzz with posts paying tributes to the Missile Man of India. Though they too wished to post something similar, they knew that such a gesture was too flimsy for someone with Kalam’s stature. So, they decided to beat a different path.
On September 13, 2018, the duo laid the foundation for “Veedaik Kalam,” an orgnisation of volunteers committed to realising Kalam’s dream of “billion trees for billion people”.
Every Sunday for the past seven years, members of this unique organisation went out to different localities in Pudukkottai and planted saplings in memory of Kalam. This week marks their 385th Sunday.
Asked how a typical Veedaik Kalam week went, Srimalaiyappan says: “By Wednesday, we’ll find a suitable place to plant the saplings. By Saturday, we’ll give a WhatsApp invite to all our members and take attendance for that week’s planting drive. We then decide on a meeting spot for the Sunday event.”
The volunteers will reach the location by 6.30 am on Sunday and complete the planting in a few hours. After they are done, they will take a group photo for their growing album and have tea from a nearby stall. Most volunteers post the group photo as their WhatsApp status every week, piquing the interest of their circle of friends. Some of these individuals, in turn, become a part of the organisation. Among the organisation’s growing members are teachers, doctors and auditors. “There is, however, no hierarchy when we undertake our activities,” said Srimalaiyappan. Naga Balaji said they also supported similar organisations that have come up in Pudukkottai.
Notably, the regular meetings and the chats during their teatime have deepened the bond between Veedaik Kalam volunteers. Be it a wedding, a birthday bash or a funeral, the members are all too ready to help one another out. An emotional Naga Balaji recalls how the members supported him after his father’s death in 2020.In fact, it was during the wedding of a Veedaik Kalam member that this reporter caught up with Srimalaiyappan. Present at the event were over 150 members, all busy with different tasks related to the wedding.
Asked about some of the memorable moments during their work so far, Srimalaiyappan said: “There is a place called Chellaiyah Koil in Pudukkottai town. Until a few years ago, it was a barren patch of land. Now, after our planting drive, it has become completely green. Also, on the Pudukkottai District Court campus, we planted about 400 saplings with the help of officials. Most of these saplings have grown well.”
On their choice of trees, a Veedaik Kalam members said they mostly went for trees that provided good shade. Pungai, neem, badam, mahoni, magilam, naval, iluppai are some of the trees.On their plans for the future, Srimalaiyappan said they hoped that the younger generation would carry on what they started and keep the memory of a great man alive.