Vanamahotsava

In India every rainy season marks now-a days the observation of Government sponsored movement of afforestation or Vanamahotsava which practically means planting of thousands of plants supplied by local government during a specified period. In the Vedic age too we had this type festivals in India. But it was the great sage Rabindranath Tagore, a man with prophetic foresight who first introduced this old vedic culture of ‘Briksha-vandana’ in Shantiniketan as a compulsory annual programme. The independent government of India first started his programme because we found that our economic growth and progress can’t be well geared unless the gap created by indiscriminate felling of trees and thoughtless destruction of our forest resources is filled up.
The systematic planting of trees during Vanamahotsava will keep our country permanently self-sufficient with wood and fuel and other products of industrial value. Every citizen of India should therefore seriously implement the programme of the planned afforestation in order to ensure the steady supply of fuel and fruits to every Indian home.

Afforestation

Existence of men on earth largely depends on forests. Trees have innate capacity of drawing rainwater from cloud. This is why it does not rain in the desert area where there is almost no tree or vegetation is very scarce. Men live on agricultural products which also depend mainly on rain. Thus forest is indirectly helping man to grow his own food. Man could have existed, had there been no forest on earth. Moreover, it is a well-known scientific truth forest prevent soil erosion in coastal areas. Forests also keep the atmosphere pollution free to a great extent. Trees and plants give out oxygen which man and animals inhale and the living creatures give out carbon dioxide which the trees inhale. It is thus evident man and tree are interdependent. With the population explosion man now need more land to grow more food. So man is felling trees and forest thoughtlessly and recklessly to satisfy his demands. Consequently the trees are gradually proceeding towards the utter extinction. Thus it will endanger the existence the birds and beasts. So such practices of indiscriminate cutting of trees and forests are dangerous for our own existence and we should take precautionary measures right from this hour to protect forest by creating forest. It can be only done by planting new saplings methodically every year so that the balance in nature is not disturbed.