I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely  as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I'll never see a tree at all...

This is an excerpt from poet Ogden Nash’s one of the most famous poems. A decade ago no one would have thought these lines would apply to our City. Gone are the days when Bangalore used to be the garden city, roads were lined with trees and there were parks and boulevards at every corner. Today, sadly due to the burgeoning population, there are no room for trees and the City is slowly turning into a concrete jungle.

However, not all hope is lost till the time there are organisations like ‘treesforfree.org .’  Started in 2005 by Janet S K Yegneswaran, the group consists of a bunch of volunteers who plant trees around the City. Spearheaded by Janet, who is the founder and the president of the foundation, the group originally had Janet and a couple of her friends. Janet started the foundation in memory of her late husband. At the end of the first year, they had managed to plant only 250 trees. “We would go around asking people if we could plant trees near their houses.

But it used to be difficult because not many people were willing to look after the trees.” In the past two years however, things have got better and the organisation now has around 20 volunteers and they have successfully planted 1,000 trees!

One of their largest plantings has been a recent one in Koramangala on the 80-ft Road where they planted 500 trees. Apart from large projects, the group is willing to plant even a small number of trees anywhere in the City, as long as they are invited by the residents to do so.

Janet obtained permission from the BBMP when she started the group. She says that  that she has asked the BBMP to maintain the saplings at Koramangala. “They just need to be watered for a year after we plant them and the rains take care after that. In fact, some of the trees grow almost ten feet in height within a year!” says Janet.
Janet selects the trees herself and prefers Indian trees that are suitable for the local soil. Being a landscape artist by profession, Janet has a good idea of the requirements of a project like this.

The group is called `trees for free’, so where does the funding come from? Says Janet, “Originally, I started with my own funds. Now we have some contributors, both individuals and corporates. But we still require more funds.”
With a smile on her face, Janet says that she doesn’t mind chipping in sometimes but she does wish more people would contribute. “All one needs to do is contribute Rs 100 a month, or if you are a corporate, you can fund as many trees as you want.’’ Janet says that the need of the hour is not just trees but tree guards, which are more expensive than the tree itself. Obviously there is no use of just planting a tree, maintenance is vital for the survival of the tree.

 “There have been times when people have said that they will have no space to park their car if we plant a tree outside their house. The irony is that while searching for a parking spot, the same people look for a tree to park in shade!” 

So, for those of you who wish to see the City a little greener, you can join Janet’s group of green fingers. You can help in any way - either by making minimum contribution or by being a volunteer and help in the plantings. In case, you want your street lined with trees, visit www.treesforfree.org or call Janet at 9845449703.

Verdant facts

*Trees purify the air we pollute. 
* Trees bring rain. 
* Trees are home to a number of birds, butterflies, bees and a number of insects and animals. 
* Trees absorb carbon dioxide and help prevent global warming. So, while we are trying to do a million things to cut down emissions, also remember that you must plant a tree!