Nizhal

Chennai has a voluntary organisation called "nizhal" which wants to promote increase in indigeneous tree cover in the city. It started small, and is now ten years old. I came to know of this initiative through D through one of her teacher friends of KFI school. She took D on a tree walk through 'kotturpuram tree park' that they have helped to create, right in the heart of the city, just along the adyar river.D was very impressed and has been telling me that I can get involved in their activities, as they are doing good work.

I had reached out to them yesterday and I was asked to come to Queen Mary's College today morning, as they are putting up a stall there, as part of Science exhibition organised by the govt for school and college children. I volunteered to be there for the next 3 days of the exhibition for 2 hours from 10 am. So I landed there and was quite impressed with the intense activity and large number of stalls being put up by various govt, non govt and voluntary organisation, working in the field of science.There were more than 200 stalls with  Biodiversity having  more than 20 stalls.School children started arriving from 11am soon after the inauguration. It is such a pleasure to have them visit the stall. They all have notebooks in hand and quickly jot down whatever you tell them about the native trees.They have to give a report in school tomorrow, you see. But they have blotting paper memories and will absorb the essential theme of our stall, that we need to conserve and grow more trees and more native trees.Each tree not only gives shade, fruits and arrests pollution and soil erosion , each tree is a unique eco system.Insects, moth, butterflies and birds choose particular trees and plants.They are choosy.So we have an obligation to preserve indigeneous trees to enable recreation of the ecosystem that they generate and make them thrive. The kernel of the idea sits in their head is enough and it will germinate and come forth at a correct time.

Nizhal is spreading the awareness in different localities in the city, Perungudi, Chitlapakkam and Madhavaram. Nizhal has also spread its 'branches' in Puzhal prisons.

Yesterday there was a news report which said, Tamilnadu government will arrange to plant 67 lakh trees in the state to commemorate Amma's 67th birthday yesterday. This is a good chance for Nizhal to involve in this initiative and further their passion.
ps:
Purasawalkam is so called as it was full of a native tree called 'purasai'.