Vanamahotsav 2018
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit”.
Vanmahotsav or the Forest Day is a week – long festival celebrated all across the country highlighting the need to preserve our forest resource and encouraging young children to plant saplings and trees that are a part of the local flora. At NPSI, this festival is a tradition that encourages our young learners to plant, nurture and more importantly, appreciate plants.
This year, the morning of July 2nd saw our students from grades 1 to 12 involved in a multitude of activities. The morning assembly, hosted by our senior students began with our Music Department faculty, Mr. Kathirvelan playing the Djembe and entertaining the students with a peppy beat. Mr. Arun Krishnamurthy, the founder activist of Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI), was invited to talk to the students from Grade 7 to 10. An active participant in several environment conservation projects including lake – cleaning, he encouraged the children to understand the local flora and fauna and highlighted the need to conserve the shrinking Pallikaranai marshes adjacent to the school.
The children of the younger grades were quite thrilled to spend some time and connect to Mother Earth as they walked barefoot in the lawns at the quadrangle. Grade 3 students were quite enthusiastic as they walked around the campus, understanding the different plants that grow in the school while the students of Grade 4 watered the plants with love and care.
Environment Revolution begins with greening our motherland. Our students of grade 11 and 12 planted a few shady tree saplings around the campus while the students of grade 5 contributed to the day by planting tree saplings at embassy Residency. The students of Grade 6 undertook a trip to the Good Earth School at Tambaram and added to the greenery of the school.
The day long festival helped our children to not just discern the urgent need to save our environment but also turn active participants in greening Mother Earth.