In Mumbai, Dead Trees Are Being Given A New Life Through Art

2017 looks like a grim year for the environment with the Trump-lead United States pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, completely in denial of the steadily deteriorating world climate, irrespective of the resulting consequences. Closer to home, the environment has taken a backseat with the government’s keen interest in protecting cows and birds’ mating rituals, while recently in Mumbai, thousands of trees were felled despite the protests of citizens. But it is during times like these that the people take matters into their own hands, and a group of Mumbaikars did step up to do what was needed.

Bandra resident Sabishi Shankar came up with the idea of saving rain trees, explaining, “I was talking to someone and I realised that there are trees dying all around us, but we are blissfully unaware. I contacted my friends and we decided to do something to save the trees in the city.”

Having connected through social media, 14 women came together in May 2015 and formed Rastaa Chaap. Their objective was to preserve, protect and plant trees in urban areas to maintain the ecological balance, starting with neighbourhoods in Juhu, Versova, Bandra and Khar. “Instead of complaining and whining about authorities not doing their job, we are looking for ways to assist them in achieving their goals,” said 48-year-old Neelu Virk, a resident of Mumbai. Calling upon themselves instead of waiting on the action, or inaction, of others, they have taken on multiple projects to fulfill their objectives.

Initially, the idea had been very simple - plant two trees for every dead tree they came across. With further thought, this evolved into a much more well-rounded and long-term plan. Now, they paint beautiful works of art on dead tree barks, not just to beautify the area, but also to draw attention to the trees, serving as a constant reminder that trees need to be saved. Along with planting trees wherever possible, Raasta Chaap also attempts to safeguard trees suffocating due to concrete work around them and provide treatment for trees suffering from mealybug.

“The BMC’s Garden department has been very cooperative, as has the road department. We also plant grass or plants that are transferred from one of our gardens by my driver, who is also very enthusiastic about this project,” said Merilyn Joseph, a core member of the Rastaa Chaap.

They also seek help from Vanashakti, a Mumbai-based NGO working towards environmental conservation and protection, to procure basic information on preservation of trees and fundamentals of planting trees. Some individuals from the neighbourhood adopt trees, taking complete care of them, including watering them and spraying pesticides. They have also placed boards with messages reading ‘I am thirsty. Can you give me water?’ or ‘If you give me water, I will give you oxygen’ in strategic locations like near a school, because the children may empty their water bottles on their way back home.

“A few South Mumbai college students have approached us to partner with them in their college festivals and save trees. We are still working out on a feasible plan with them. It is nice to hand over the idea to the young and spread the message,” said Sabishi.

The team now has 15 volunteers in addition to the core 14 members and has gone on to take a number of other projects. Early this year, they set up an urban farm at Andheri with the help of Green Souls, which yielded some quality produce and have gone on to win The Women’s Achievers Awards by the Young Environmentalists Program Trust, in March 2017.

José Saramago, a Portuguese writer and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature, had rightly said, “As citizens, we all have an obligation to intervene and become involved - it’s the citizen who changes things,” and Rastaa Chaap’s work has shown us just how true that is.

You can follow their amazing work here and learn how you can contribute to making your city greener and cleaner, one step at a time.
Feature Image Source: www.mid-day.com