Van Mahotsav 2018: Everything You Need to Know About This Celebration Dedicated to Forest Conservation and Tree Plantation
The Van Mahotsav is celebrated across India from July 1 to July 7 every year for creating awareness about forest conservation and encouraging tree plantation.
Our dependence on the forest cannot be understated. Directly or indirectly, we depend a lot on the resources provided by forests, which includes food, shelter, water and even livelihood. But we are ignorant of this fact and even if we aren't, we don’t acknowledge the importance of the greenery around us, do we? And it wouldn’t be surprising if you are unaware that there is a week dedicated every year to celebrate forests and greenery known as the Van Mahotsav.
In 1950, Dr. K.M. Munshi, the then Union Minister for Agriculture and Food observed the festival in India for the first time. Since then every year, Van Mahotsav is celebrated in the first week of July, from 1st to 7th. If you really care about the environment , here are some amazing facts about the Van Mahotsav.
Pandit Jawaharlal Had A Role To Play
Politician, independent activist and writer Dr K.M. Munshi first took the noble initiative to channelise his concern for the environment into a festival. Munshi was also the Union Minister of Agriculture and Food that time. The idea of this celebration stemmed from a tree plantation drive in Delhi, attended by important national leaders like Dr. Rajendra Prasad and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
The Chipkoo Movement Spurred The Van Mahotsav
The Chipkoo Andolan that started in the Himalayan regions of erstwhile Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand) did its bit to fan the flames of Van Mahotsav. When Chipkoo movement gained popularity in 1973, the Van Mahotsav also gained momentum.
The Van Mahotsav Made Difference to Forest Conservation
The celebration has over the years encouraged people to become more aware and enthusiastic about forest conversation. With an aim to encourage citizen participation government organisations also distribute saplings to academic institutions, NGOs and welfare organisations. People are encouraged to participate in the celebration by planting trees or saplings in or around their homes, offices, schools and colleges.
Monsoons Coincide With The Mahotsav
The celebration of Van Mahotsav cannot be timed better since July is a monsoon month and tree plantation can be most effective in this season.
Isn't Van Mahotsav something worth our time and effort? We all can take a simple initiative to plant at least one new sapling and contribute to the greater change. And now that we have social media, we can plant our sapling(s) and share it with our friends online to encourage and inspire them to participate as well.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 02, 2018 04:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).