KANNIYAKUMARI: Amid the scorching heat of Kanniyakumari’s arid landscape, a humble figure pushes his cart along the dusty road. Beads of sweat trickles down his face as he searches for refuge. Soon, he spots a verdant canopy that offers shade and sanctuary. He catches forty winks within no time.
The saviour here, the tall tree, is not just a creation of nature. It’s the effort put in by four selfless eco-warriors who believe ‘even the mightiest of trees sprout from a small seed’. One tree at a time, they began painting parts of Nagercoil green in 2016. And soon enough, their little initiative bloomed into Nimir, an organisation focused on planting saplings free of cost.
Nimir, which means stand upright in Tamil, is now on a mission to increase the tree cover in Kanniyakumari district and also educate people about the importance of trees.The brainchild of B Ebin Raja Ebenezar and his friends J Evans Goldwin, R Kevin Kerner and C Hari, Nimir has turned into an inspiration for many.
“After we graduated in 2016, we realised that the climate in Kanniyakumari district was extreme. With trees being felled for development, there was a sense of dryness in the air. The birds that once sang with glee were nowhere in sight now. That got us thinking. If we cannot stop the felling of trees, we can at least plant saplings. As the saplings grew into small trees, we saw people taking shelter under them and this inspired us to do more,” says Ebin, who now resides in Oman.
“We soon began expanding our mission to cover other areas in the district. In 2019, we registered Nimir as a trust. Even though the ground work is done by members based in Kanniyakumari, we have people from far off places helping us with the noble cause,” he added.
While the founding members are now living in far-off places, the initiative is being carried forward by other members. Though they began planting trees with money from their own pockets, now funds are coming in from various quarters. Nimir has also been engaged in the creation of Miyawaki forests and focus on growing native species. Apart from this, they also create awareness among students and even award those who grow saplings in their homes for six months.
S Starwin Xaviour, a member of the group, said, “We have set up Miyawaki forests near Vallankumaravilai and at Holy Cross College and St Xavier’s Catholic College of Engineering.”
Echoing Ebin’s thoughts, Aspren Russeldhas, Nimir’s director of communications, said, “Through Nimir, we have planted over 3,200 saplings. We are now expanding our green drive to cover other parts of the district and our goal is to increase the forest cover in the district by the end of the year. We are especially planting fruit-bearing trees so that birds and other animals have a source of food.”
PL Praslee Christus, a functionary who works in Chennai said she visits Nagercoil every month to participate in plantation drives and raise awareness about it on social media. “Increasing green cover could be a probable solution for climate change,” she stated. Just like the trees planted by them, Nimir’s members believe their mission will stand upright and branch out into a mighty cause.
(Edited by Srijith R)