Date:21/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/21/stories/2008082154710500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Sapling plantation finds a place in Guinness Book

S. Ganesan

Over two lakh saplings planted in two villages on October 1 and 2, 2005

— PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

SETTING RECORD: NCC cadets who took part in a mass sapling plantation camp in two villages in Nagapattinam in December 2005.

TIRUCHI: A 24-hour mass sapling plantation campaign carried out in a couple of coastal villages in Nagapattinam district in 2005, already recognised as a world record, has now found a mention in the 2008 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

As many as 2,54,464 saplings were planted at Pushpavanam and Naluvedupathi on October 1 and 2, 2005, by 300 persons. The district administration and voluntary organisations organised the event in memory of the tsunami victims.

Though the effort was recognised as a world record, with the district administration receiving a certificate from the Guinness authorities a few months after the event, it has been recorded only in the 2008 edition of the Guinness Book, says Col. Sunil Anand, Officer Commanding, 3 TN Company Technical Coy National Cadet Corps, Tiruchi, who took part in the campaign, along with 60 cadets and Associate NCC Officer V. Govindarajalu.

The event finds a mention under the list of ‘latest greatest gatherings’ in the ‘Mass Participation’ section of the book, along with a photograph.

The effort was supported by BITSunami, a tsunami rehabilitation project launched by the alumni of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, and Wipro, and coordinated by the former Collector, Sudeep Jain, and the then Collector J. Radhakrishnan. Mr. Sudeep Jain, an alumnus of the BITS, Pilani, was also involved in the earlier record of planting 80,000 saplings at Naluvedapathi, where the damage wrought by the December 2004 tsunami was minimal.

The district administration made a second attempt at rewriting the record. Though the officials had planned to plant 1.75 lakh saplings, the activists ended up planting more than 2.50 lakh saplings, according to Mr. Sudeep Jain and Mr. Radhakrishnan. The officers say they have information that more than 2 lakh saplings planted in these villages are still healthy.

“Though it rained heavily, the volunteers went on planting the saplings, taking turns to break for food and refreshments. There was a tremendous response from the people too,” Col. Anand recalls.