Celebrations with a Message

In today’s times, when children’s events are celebrated by hosting ostentatious parties, the Naiks from Pune decided to do something different. On the occasion of the naming ceremony of their one and a half-month-old girl, they decided to gift a village a host of plants, including 51 saplings for local school students, at a cost of Rs 50,000. As indiscriminate felling of trees is rampant in the name of development, this initiative of planting trees in the name of celebration deserves to be emulated. The couple, Ranjeet and Neha decided to take up this cause for the future generation. The new parents decided that on the occasion of naming ceremony of their child, 101 trees will be planted at Malshiras village near Bhuleshwar in Yavat, an area known to have faced droughts for some years now. Friends and relatives were excited about this idea of celebration and offered their full support. On Sunday, scores of friends and family members braved the heat and joined in to plant a variety of flora, including neem, mango, chiku, bamboo, coconut palm, gulmohar, banyan, Java plum, sacred fig, tamarind, etc in a village plot, 55 km from the city. Sticks and netting were also put around the plants as a safeguard against animals; later, a cake was cut and the baby's new name -Alisha -celebrated by the revellers. Maintenance of the trees is also important and the couple has planned to visit the village once in a week to invigilate the growth of these plants. They will also rope in the villagers for the upkeep of the trees. The local rural community welcomed the event as well and many stepped forward to support the family.