This Forest Week, thousands of saplings will get planted across the city. Pictures of the drives will get taken and shared enthusiastically on social media. But in most cases, once the moment is over, the planters will become oblivious to whether the saplings they planted were flourishing or dying.
The low survival rate of saplings planted on plantation drives without long-term plan of nurture made Biswajit Majumder, a resident of Eastern High, start caring for roadside plants and replace withered ones. Today, a Facebook group he created in 2022, called Ecologic, has 240 members, who are mostly residents of New Town. Even gardeners and toto drivers, who are committed to the green message, have been included in the group.
“Corporate entities may be doing activities on a large-scale. But I believe in the initiative of the individual. Our group comprises environmental enthusiasts like me. We don’t have any registered address. But once a message is posted about an activity, we land up at the venue,” said Biswajit.
He had started in May 2022 with the youngsters of Eastern High and a few adult neighbours, like Malay Roy and Gautam Sau, planting outside their complex.
In three and a half years since then, the group has engineered 3,500 plantations. “Our target is about 1,000 a year. This year, we have reached 458 already,” the 50-year-old IT professional said, with a smile.
The count stood at 426 till last Friday. On Saturday, residents of BA Block along with Ecologic members planted 32 more. “And I wasn’t even in town. This proves the movement is growing on its own steam,” he said.
Another pillar of the group is Suvankar Majumdar, a son of the soil born and brought up in Gauranganagar, across the Bagjola canal, and who also owns an apartment in BD Block. The schoolteacher used to plant trees on his own till he met Biswajit a month later. “I had planted 250 trees during the lockdown with zero participation from neighbours.
But now there is a change in attitude. Our group is known across New Town and people call us to lend a hand if they plan a plantation,” Suvankar said. The third-most veteran member is Sukanta Pal of BA Block, who spotted the duo planting trees in Smritibon during his morning walk.
After some months, they were joined by Ratan Sutar of Sulanguri, Rajarhat, and Subhashish Chowdhury of AD Block. “Initially we spent money out of our own pocket to buy saplings. Now people come forward with donations,” said Suvankar. “We never accept cash. Donations may be saplings, a few shovels, sprinklers or the like,” added Biswajit. “We maintain data of our plantations and survival.
Our members assume guardianship of trees or motivate local residents to water them in summer. If there is risk of cattle grazing, we put up protective netting around the spot,” said Pal, a 65-year-old retired railway employee, pointing to Smritibon, the space in front of Swapnabhor station and in front of Pride Plaza hotel, in front of Novotel and CB Park as sites of their past activities.
The members get down and dirty themselves. “I have done the digging and planted 27 saplings so far this year, after 19 mango trees last year,” beamed Shibaji Banerjee, a CC Block resident who calls himself a “young man of 67”.
“I maintain my personal score card. This gives me great joy,” added the former resident of ESI Quarters in Salt Lake, who was drawn to this hobby when a neighbourhood girl sought his help to plant trees equivalent in number to her age on her birthday. “That was a brilliant idea, I thought, as New Town had so little greenery.”
This involves wading into thick shrubbery and undergrowth. “Once I came out of a park after watering some trees and found my socks drenched in blood. I panicked, fearing snakebite. It turned out to be leeches,” said Suvankar, 46.
A peepal tree planted by Ecologic members opposite One Rajarhat in 2022
There were setbacks too. Subhashish had planted catkins (kash) in his block. Someone uprooted them, taking them to be wild grass. Many saplings of the initial lot that Suvankar had planted in BD Block got trampled upon by disapproving neighbours. NKDA maintenance workers, too, sometimes end up damaging saplings.
But the members do not take such matters to heart and focus on the positives instead. “I stored the seeds of the mangoes I ate this summer and we had planted 14 of them in front of Central Mall in March.
Twelve of them have germinated and grown to a height of 1.5ft,” said Suvankar. Another lady from Action Area II brought palm seeds. “New Town hardly has any palm trees. We planted 10-11 seeds behind Axis Mall. Three of them have grown. She is delighted,” he added.
“We are now focusing on fruit trees. Someone asked us if we were angling for the produce. But seeing birds and children enjoy the fruits is all we ask for. Wait for a few more years. New Town will become an orchard,” Suvankar proudly said.
Biswajit admits that the plantations take place on public land. “We survey dividers to check if any of the plants planted by the administration have withered and replace the dead plants with the same or similar species of saplings.
If the government has any objection, it can uproot our plants wherever it feels fit,” said Biswajit, wistfully remembering the encouragement they had received from Debashis Sen, the former NKDA and Hidco chief.
The group had planted a chhatim tree on the road to the temple in BD Block. “It has grown heavy with foliage. This summer, we spotted so many pedestrians taking shelter underneath,” said Pal, with a smile.