Green things beautiful
NISHA
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An early morning walk in Natesan Park proved to be an interesting exercise.
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Photo: Nisha
On the walk: Get to know your trees.
The sun had only just risen Sunday morning, when a group of nature enthusiasts met at Natesan Park in T Nagar for a “Tree Walk”.
These walks are fairly regular occurrences, organised once every four to five weeks in and around Chennai’s greener locales by enthusiastic volunteers of Nizhal. This is a trust established in 2005 to promote tree culture in urban areas, particu
larly Chennai. Professors of Botany, horticultural experts, and those adoring of all things green and leafy lead these walks, naming names, pointing out flowers and fruit, all the while elaborating on little known facts that makes each of these trees so very special.
Sensitisation
First there is the False Ashoka tree, then the Yellow Gulmohar. The Neem, Bottle-brush and Mahagony are next. And as the names abound, the small group that follows also grows larger, as curious onlookers join the walk. And this is precisely what Nizhal aims at, says Shobha Menon, a trustee. “We want more and more people to be involved, and be sensitive to trees.”
Dr. Rani, Professor of Botany at Chrompet Vaishnav College who led the walk recently, will concur that the movement can use both loyal support, and committed volunteers.
Write to them at nizhal.shade@gmail.com for more details and information on tree walks.
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