At RoundGlass Foundation we are planting 100,000 trees, and creating 75 mini forests. That’s the highlight of our celebration for Van Mahotsav. We are extending the week-long festival to make the most of the planting season. Between July 1st and 17th, you will find us planting native trees in the villages of Punjab.
In 1947, Dr. MS Randhawa, a Punjabi botanist, started a plantation drive across India to reduce the impact of deforestation. The week-long plantation drive ran from July 20th to 27th. Indian leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr. Ranjendra Prasad supported and attended this plantation drive.
In 1950, Mr. K. M. Munshi, the then Union Minister of Agriculture and Food, declared it as a national festival. Since then, it is celebrated pan India in the first week of July when the monsoons visit our country, and is called Van Mahotsav.
We remember Dr. Randhawa fondly not just for this festival, but for the green cover of Chandigarh too. When Dr. Randhawa was an ICS officer, Commissioner of Union Territory, he got together a team of horticulturists. Together they picked the choicest of trees to plant in Chandigarh. Today the green cover of the city gives it such a unique character.
Let’s show our gratitude to this great soul by celebrating Van Mahotsav with fervor.
You too can join in in this green festival. Plant a tree wherever you live. Or ask us to plant on your behalf. Donate here: