Tag: World Environment Day

Pledge for Green has not gone unseen

Trees and forests play a very crucial role in maintaining an ecological balance and providing oxygen to human beings on the planet. Van Mahotsav is thus, both warning and an urge to mankind to protect forests, plant trees and avoid the future from turning into deserts. If enough trees are planted in towns and cities, definitely it can help in reducing the overall temperature.

Planting trees is recognized as one of the most engaging, environment friendly activities. In an endeavor towards maintaining the green campus as well as to spread awareness of planting more and more trees and protecting the environment, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has celebrated Van Mahotsav on July 07, 2021.

To commemorate the occasion, the Director, the Deputy Director, the Dean Outreach, the Associate Dean Outreach and the Associate Dean of Alumni Affairs and Branding of IIT Kharagpur along with other staffs and faculty members have planted the saplings of Bakul Tree (Mimusops elengi) – for the fact that it is an evergreen and a medicinal plant as well as it provides the dense shade, at the campus and the pledge has been taken to take care of the saplings planted throughout the year.

 Speaking on the occasion, Prof Virendra Kumar Tewari, the Director of IIT Kharagpur, said, “It is our social responsibility towards our Mother Nature to improve the health of the environment. IIT Kharagpur has a lush green campus with the initiatives of all round management and development of the campus in an eco-friendly manner. People love the greenery and the atmosphere here. Every year, IIT Kharagpur community plants saplings at various designated spots within the campus, as their regular activity”.

Institutions need to ‘GO GREEN’ not only to spread awareness about the virtues of trees and greenery but also to maintain ecological balance and thrive for sustainable development. Since its foundation in 1951, IIT Kharagpur has embarked on a journey to protect the environment and spread the awareness of conserving forest through various activities. Further, since 5th June, 2021 (World Environment Day), more than 300 saplings have been planted at the campus. The campus is full of greenery including age-old trees, plants and medicinal herbs.

During a short detour around the campus, one could enlighten the mind and soothe the eyes with a stunning visual of wider varieties of trees, including Simul, Sirish, Gulmohar/ Krishnachura, Radhachura, Palash, Eucalyptus, Banyan, Jarul, Bakul, Mahogany, Mahua, Akashmoni, Amaltus, Arjun, Ashoka, Aswatha, Jarul, Kanak Champa, Banyan, Pipal, Chatim, Sal, Segun, Sajna, Rubber plant, Debdaru, and Fruit trees- Mango, Lichi, Neem, Jamun, Bael, Cashew and many more. You can get to see some rare varieties of trees in the campus, such as Nagchampa or the Cannoball tree, Jagya dumur, Bhojpatra or Bertula uitilis, Haritaki, Madras Thorn/Manila Tamarind, Karanj, Putranjiva, Bahera, Tejpata, Sisso, etc. Our campus also has some unusual trees, such as Gamhar or white teak and Sausage trees. Rudrakhsh trees and Allspice trees are two unusual trees are there at the Director’s Bunglow.

While delivering an aspiring speech, Prof Amit Patra, the Deputy Director of IIT Kharagpur mentioned the famous quote of Rabindranath Tagore, “DAO PHIRE SE ARANYA, LAO E NAGAR which means give us back the sylvan past and take away today’s cities”.

We believe that it is highly essential to increase the greenery and landscaping for all the residents in the campus and beyond, because trees greatly benefit the people living around them by having a positive impact on mental health, wellbeing, reducing stress and encouraging outdoor exercise.  Human lives exist in complete synonymity with the nature and trees could be the guide and friend that we could look for, while going towards a ‘better tomorrow’.

To create links between a healthy environment and healthy livelihoods, IIT campus dwellers have opted for organic farming and planting trees in free spaces to adhere to the outcry of growing green. Our students and staff contribute immensely to increasing the green cover. The departments have also been planting trees in the hall of residence. The staff and student are highly passionate about taking care of the campus greenery.

Contact: Paramita Dey, Junior Assistant

Email: media@iitkgp.ac.in, Ph. No.: +91-3222-282004

Planting the seeds of change

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

These prophetic words of Mahatma Gandhi aptly sum up the deliberations on the World Environment Day on June 5 at IIT Kharagpur. On the day, a panel discussion organized by Vision Prabaho, the eco-conservation forum of IIT Kharagpur, brought together professionals from different walks of life to talk on ‘Environment Vs Development: from confliction to sustainable coexistence’. There was Ms. Nadira Patheriya, Former Judge, Calcutta High Court, Mr. Satyajit Roy, WBFS, Directorate of Forest, Govt. of West Bengal, Prof. Somnath Ghosal, Rural Development Centre, IIT Kharagpur, Prof. Saamdu Chetri, Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness, and former Executive Director, Gross National Happiness Centre, Bhutan, and Mr. Rohit Kishan Ray, Research Scholar, Physics Department, IIT Kharagpur.

Ms. Nadira Patheriya at the Green Parliament

Mr. Satyajit Roy explained how aggressive development in different parts of the country was destroying its wildlife, eg. the Great Indian Bustard of Rajasthan or the Fishing Cat of the Sunderbans. “How much land should go for development? How much forest should we preserve? The forest department often has to balance both the priorities,” said Mr. Roy. He also pointed out how the involvement of the local communities in conservation efforts, government programs such as Van Mahotsav, and even state schemes, were helping to turn the tide. In fact, there has been a marginal increase in the forest cover in India.

“The Nature does not need us, but we need Nature,” said Prof. Chetri, who powerfully advocated education on environmental matters from a very young age, the dropping of meat and packaged food from our diet. “If we stopped eating meat and dairy products, there would be a lot of land for planting trees,” he said. He also argued that packaged food was benefiting no one else but the multinational companies. He cited the case of Bhutan, which used only 39 per cent of its ‘Natural capital’, and made local communities responsible for the upkeep of the environment. In many areas of Bhutan, the biodiversity had improved and the water system had regenerated as a result, he said.

Ms. Nadira Patheriya did not agree with Prof. Chetri on radical solutions, such as dictating the change of diet, but she stressed on the use of environmentally-friendly materials in exchange of plastics. “I look at plastics and I feel angry. What have we done?” she said. She was happy at seeing corn flour being used to make the small packets for the ‘prasad’ distributed at Golden Temple of Amritsar. “Even for paper bags, we cut down trees. Why not make jute bags, which would also bring in revenue?”

Prof. Somnath Ghoshal said he did not see any conflict between ‘Environment’ and ‘Development’, but of course, there is a conflict between ‘Healthy environment’ and ‘Careless Development’. He emphasized on the need to look at the ‘inner environment’ of each individual as well because “the art of living, or how I live, what I nurture’ has an indelible impact on the environment.

Rohit Kishan Ray stressed on the need to run a “propaganda” on a war footing to make people aware of the environmental disaster awaiting us if we continued in our ways. Recent political developments had convinced him how fear could be used to influence opinion. “People had to be convinced that they need to save themselves, not Nature… the ‘threat’ was to their own existence.”

Moderated by Prof. Sudha Goel, Civil Engineering; Environment Science and Engineering, each speaker stressed on the importance of taking small individual steps to bring about change. In this context, it would be relevant to mention how Vision Prabaho has been campaigning against the use of plastic in IIT Kharagpur. The group observed Earth Day with its program for “Un-nailing Trees”, whereby trees on both sides of a 500 metre road were freed of nails and other contraptions.

“Our foremost aim is to spread awareness regarding the importance of tree conservation, reducing the carbon print and encouraging the student community in plantation drives which is crucial to the sustenance of life on earth,” says a group member. Vision Prabaho, which is also mentored by Mrs. Barnali Chakrabarti, botanist and wife of the Director, Prof. Partha Pratim Chakrabarti, observed World Environment Day 2018 with a “Green Talk” featuring Prof. Souvik Bhattacharya, Vice-Chancellor, BITS Pilani among other green activists and thinkers.

Pictures: Vision Prabaho