The Hindu : New Delhi News : "Sons of the soil" toil to keep the earth green

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 23, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

"Sons of the soil" toil to keep the earth green

Staff Reporter

One crore trees planted by farmer couple in past 20 years

OLD COUPLE: Ramiah and Tanammah from Andhra Pradesh inaugurating the film festival on environment in New Delhi on Monday

NEW DELHI: Sitting quietly among the crème de la crème in the field of environmental conservation at the ongoing "Vatavaran'' film festival here, the farmer couple --Ramiah and Janammah from Khamam district of Andhra Pradesh -- are what you would call "sons of the soil".

This special couple lit the inauguration lamp on Monday to throw open the exclusive film festival dedicated to environment and wildlife. Together the couple have contributed to the environment by planting one crore trees in the past 20 years.

Having sold off his three-acre piece of land to buy more saplings to be distributed free of cost, Ramiah was branded "mad"by his village folks who could not understand why a person would sell off his land to make his city green.

A true grassroots activist, a poet and singer, Ramiah along with his wife now maintains a nursery back home and continues to distribute free samplings and educating people about the need for making the planet green.

Well recognised and having received much acclaim for their remarkable work, so dedicated are the duo that they make it a point to even go to marriages uninvited, present the groom and his bride with a sapling and talk to them about the need to make the planet green.

"When I was in school my teacher told me that planting a tree is like worshiping or even doing puja, that idea struck me when a gardener drove me and my friends away for trying to pluck mangoes, I realised that I should plant my own trees and not be dependent on anyone. I made it a point to read a lot about planting trees and educate myself about how I could contribute to improving the environment,'' said Ramiah.

Ramiah is now asking the Government to provide some space to cultivate trees from which water can be harnessed.

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