DHARMAPURI: The green cover and the soothing air at Palavadi Government High School have a tale of compassion, love and hard work of the students to tell. Though the Coronavirus has succeeded in spreading panic, it helped teach students many lessons - most importantly, the value of herbal medicines.
Seven students of the school were quick in their action, and with the help of teachers, they created a herbal garden on their school compound during the time of the virus-induced lockdown in August. Now, the garden boasts of 133 varieties of herbs.
Speaking to TNIE, Science teacher of the school, M Sankar, said that the students - P Ananthi, P Madhumitha, R Menaka, G Harikrishnan from Class X along with G Bhuvanesh kumar and three other alumni had already chalked out a plan when they approached him, seeking permission to create the garden.
“Since August, they have been working hard from 9 am to 6 pm in the garden, planting various herbs,” he said. The students have created a deep impression on everybody in the locality that the villagers and several teachers came forward, offering help.
“They pooled in Rs 60,000 to buy necessary equipment and plants for the garden. Further, the school teachers also helped students establish drip irrigation system to water the plants,” Sankar said. The students are well aware of the importance of herbal medicines. They said, “During the time of the dengue outbreak, the authorities told us to drink Nilavembu tea and Papaya leaves to boost immunity.
Now, in these Covid-19 times, they are telling us to take in Kabasura kudineer to boost immunity. Not all students in our school are able to afford these herbs and roots. That’s why we decided to create our own herbal garden. All herbs will be made available to all the 180 students in the school,” they said, adding that some of the herbs could be used in the noon meal as well.
In a bid to encourage the students, the school teachers have issued a booklet on various herbs. Ask Sankar, he would say that gardening as a hobby is good to boost confidence. The school also hosts a small forest ecosystem, which the students developed over a course of 10 years.