Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam   

Chinars to charm visitors to defence staff college

Country’s pride: A chinar sapling planted at the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington.

Udhagamandalam: Though tucked away in a serene part of the Blue Mountains, the name and fame of the premier military institution Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) at Wellington, near Coonoor, have since its inception about 60 years ago spread far and wide.

While much has been said and written about its contribution in giving a fillip to the career of about 450 officers from the armed forces in India and abroad through a 45 week course conducted every year, not many outside the college are aware of the extent to which its beautiful ambience has played a role in making the stay of the officer-students memorable.

The well manicured lawns and tastefully laid out flower beds interspersed with trees belonging to species like acacia, silver fir, pine and jacaranda both in official and private environs have over the years made it a habit of walking away with the most coveted prizes at the Annual Floral carnival. Recently, the sprawling and picturesque campus has given something more to the premanent staff and the office-students to write home about. In keeping with its long standing tradition of promoting innovative horticulture by procuring plants from other parts of the country and growing them with a great degree of success, chinar saplings brought from Kashmir have recently been planted on the campus.

How did it come about? The Hindu learns that the Commandant, DSSC, Lt.Gen. B.J. Gupta, a lover of nature and a gardening enthusiast while on a forward area tour to the Kashmir Valley had envisioned a place for the magnificient chinar at Wellington.

Accordingly saplings were procured and planted in the Ashoka lawn, Trishakthi and Flag Staff House of the DSSC.

While pointing out that it was yet another example of nature’s contribution to national integration, an observer said that the incredibly beautiful giant chinars which are an integral part of the Kashmiri culture can be found all over the Kashmir Valley.

The chinars at Wellington will be among those furthest down south.

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