A walk for the trees

                                                               

                                                                - Casiola Fernandes            

They trooped in slowly...the first batch of students as early as 6 am with their parents in tow. The excitement kept building up with many more arrivals, and reached a crescendo with the last entrants filing in at the set time, 6.30 a.m. As many as 165 students (minus our Std. IX and Std. X students- an enthusiastic bunch - who were busy answering their Unit test) and 10 staff members of St. Joseph’s, Wadala, registered themselves for a Tree Walk on 4^th Aug, 2012 at Mumbai Port Trust Gardens, Colaba.  Kudos to our ‘everGreen’Line team that conceptualized this event to allow our youngsters get a taste of the bio-diverse environment in and around Mumbai! 

After a prayer by the Principal, and a set of instructions by the Headmistress, the group set out for the eagerly awaited Tree Walk. In the heart of the busy city of Mumbai lies a very beautiful garden at Colaba which was earlier just a barren land (dump yard). The Mumbai Port Trust has been maintaining the garden ever since it took over the responsibility of beautifying the place. The water used to water the trees in the garden is the waste water which is treated by a water treatment plant. The garden saves 90% of its cost on water - earlier they spent as much as Rs. 1000 per day on water!  The garden is known for the various types of tress and the wide range of plants found there. The greenery around blessed with the rain drops is a sight to behold.

We arrived at the garden at 8 am. Three members from the GreenLine team Ms. Parveen Shaikh, Ms. Devyani Singh and Mr.Vishal Rasal were present at the site to welcome us. In order to provide a richer and fuller experience, the students were separated to form three groups ably assisted by the accompanying staff and the guides. Each group then began the tour of the garden. The dainty flowers, the blooming plants and the majestic towering trees arrested our attention. We were introduced to a gamut of trees: the Umbrella tree, Armus tree, Banyan tree, Chinese Palm tree, Rubber tree, etc. The medicinal plants, herbs and the Indian Native trees amazed us.
         

We moved ahead to the Rock Graden. The path of the rock garden provided a roller coaster ride - round and round, up and down. It was here that we got a breathtaking view and a closer glimpse of the variety of cacti in nature. Up ahead ...and there we were facing the Arabian Sea!  We sat there watching the waves, the rain-washed sky, birds taking flight and allowing the gentle breeze to engulf our total being.

The Tree Walk ended, we returned back, happy for the exciting trip and a pleasant experience. It behoves us now to be in sync – more than ever – with the stimulating environment around us, winning it over as our ally, and not sparring with it as does a foe!