Planting a sapling on one's birthday has become quite a trend in societies of Sector 9, Dwarka.
Most residents of the area plant a sapling at Park No 3 behind Ganpati apartments. Various RWAs of the area and the Federation of RWAs (FORWAs) have encouraged the practice to create awareness among residents, mostly children.
Once planted, the sapling is taken care of by children, with help from their parents and grandparents.
"Our federation started this practice in Sector 9," says RP Gupta, secretary of FORWAs. "To our surprise, the idea became quite popular, with more and more people wanting to do it. More than 50 families have already done this on birthdays. We plan to spread word about this simple eco-friendly initiative across Dwarka."
Residents of Ganpati Apartments have been doing this for the past few years.
"Planting a smriti vriksha dedicated to somebody's name has become quite popular around here," says Advocate KS Bhati, president of Ganpati Apartments, Sector 9. "We have planted more than 500 saplings in the park. There is a plant called Divyansh Bhati, named after my grandchild, that we take care of. It's a very good sign that children are enthusiastic about taking care of these plants. I hope more people start doing this."