The festival of Rakhsha Bandhan may still be a few days away but the former garden in-charge and a senior faculty member of Allahabad University’s department of Botany prof NB Singh and his students celebrated the festival on Saturday in a unique way.
Giving a message of protecting the environment, the group led by prof Singh tied rakhis to a number of trees and promised to protect them. Apart from teachers, AU students and gardeners participated in the initiative.
“The idea of tying a rakhi to trees, and that too a week before Rakhsha Bandhan, was important because although we plant several trees on different occasions, but it is more important to protect them and see to it that they grow properly”, said prof Singh
For this purpose, the professor selected both old and new trees at the Teachers’ Colony of AU which needed immediate attention. He also performed aarti of some of the trees and applied tilak before tying rakhi to the trunk of the trees.
“The problem of global warming and CO2 being released in the air is adversely affecting the environment because of which problems such as floods, temperature escalation and freak natural incidents are being witnessed in the world,” said prof Singh.
{{/usCountry}}“The problem of global warming and CO2 being released in the air is adversely affecting the environment because of which problems such as floods, temperature escalation and freak natural incidents are being witnessed in the world,” said prof Singh.
{{/usCountry}}There has to be a balance between progress and protecting the environment and what better could be the method than to tie a rakhi to these trees and promising them protection, he added.
Likewise, the traders of the city, under the banner of Sanyukt Vyapar Mandal Mahanagar, have decided to also tie a rakhi to several trees of the city, this Raksha Bandhan. The traders will first decorate a tree in front of their establishments and later tie a rakhi to the tree and take a pledge to protect it, and thereby, the environment.
Likewise, bakers and sweet shop owners too are in an upbeat mood to celebrate the festival.
“We have decided to make several items with the theme of Raksha Bandhan including gift hampers, pastries and other items,” said Mohit Roy, owner of a famous bakery in the Civil Lines area.