TN Minister K.N. Nehru Launched Isha’s Massive Tree Planting Drive in Trichy

This year, on behalf of Isha’s Cauvery Calling movement, four and a half lakh trees will be planted in agricultural lands in Trichy.

The inaugural event took place this morning (May 26) at the Isha Yoga Center in Thillai Nagar, Trichy. Tamil Nadu’s Minister of Municipal Administration and Water Supply, Mr. K.N. Nehru, participated as the chief guest. He distributed saplings to farmers and officially launched the initiative. Trichy Mayor Mr. M. Anbazhagan also attended the event.

In his speech, K.N. Nehru, Tamil Nadu Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban & Water Supply, recalled, “Twenty years ago, at a tree planting event at Anna University, Chennai, the then Chief Minister, the esteemed Kalaignar, participated as the chief guest along with Sadhguru and inaugurated Isha’s tree planting initiative.

During that event, Kalaignar said a wonderful phrase, ‘We will nurture the tree; the tree will nurture us.’ It’s delightful to see that through this initiative, 109 million trees have been planted so far. I extend my heartfelt congratulations for the continued success of Isha’s tree planting efforts.

Farmers should plant not only timber trees but also fruit-bearing trees like avocado, which can provide significant income. Planting fruit trees will also increase food production.

Throughout Tamil Nadu, fallow agricultural lands without workers should be used for tree planting. Planting trees benefits the country, the people, and the farmers. Besides tree planting, Isha should also collaborate with the Tamil Nadu government in cleaning and maintaining lakes. I am very happy to be part of this wonderful event,” he said.

Earlier, Swami Srimukha, coordinator of Isha’s ‘Save the Soil’ movement, said, “Under the Cauvery Calling initiative, we have begun the task of planting 12.1 million trees on agricultural lands across Tamil Nadu for the current financial year (2024-25). In Trichy district alone, we plan to plant 450,000 saplings this year. Last year, farmers in Trichy planted 292,773 saplings,” he said.

Since 2002, Isha has been continuously working on environmental improvement and tree planting. The Cauvery Calling initiative was launched in 2019 to rejuvenate the Cauvery River.

The initiative provides free technical assistance for tree planting and maintenance. This includes selecting suitable trees for the soil, water management, weed management, and intercropping advice, with staff visiting agricultural lands to offer guidance. Farmers can contact 80009 80009 for additional information and sapling needs.