It isn’t every day that you come across something extraordinary in life. However, if we look closely, we can find extraordinary things in our ordinary lives. With a small gesture, a couple from Pune has set a huge example for their generation. Meet Ranjeet and Neha Naik, a couple who celebrated the birth of their daughter, Alisha, by planting 101 trees. Heartwarming, isn’t it? Here’s their story-
Ranjeet Naik runs a software training institute in Kothrud, Pune. His wife, Neha Naik is a professor at Symbiosis Institute, Viman Nagar. The young couple was blessed with a beautiful baby girl on August 18th, 2017. As per custom, they were expected to throw a grand bash in celebration of the blessed event, in honour of their first child. Ranjeet and Neha however, decided to make better use of this opportunity.
Instead of spending a large sum on a lavish party, the couple decided to contribute to their daughter’s generation. They mutually decided to plant 101 saplings in Malshiras after their baby’s naming ceremony. A sum of Rs. 50,000 was spent on this procedure by them. The nature lovers also went on to donate 51 more saplings to the students of a local school as an additional gesture. 101 and 51 are considered to be auspicious numbers in Hindu customs, and Ranjeet and Neha successfully gave this custom a green twist. Regarding their decision, Ranjeet said-
“When I first mentioned this tree plantation idea to my kith and kin, they were enthused. Luckily for us, a friend suggested this spot in Malshiras, where he owns some agricultural land that happens to be open for plantation. This gave us 3.5 acres of land to plant new trees; there was no water problem either, as there is a pond in the area and we plan to deploy a water tanker… Planting may be easy, but it is more important to maintain the trees.”
Their family members and friends chose to support them. Together, they planted various types of plants- mango, sapodilla, coconut palms, Gulmohar, Banyan, Java plum, and tamarind amongst many others. The plantation process was a huge success, wherein even the local communities welcomed the couple’s work with enthusiasm. Once this wonderful job was done, a cake cutting ceremony followed for the six week old Alisha.
Neha had another pressing issue in mind. Speaking of the unequal sex ratio in the country, she maintains how crucial it is for all of us to save the girl child. This action of theirs has managed to grab eyeballs, and will raise awareness about the issue of imbalanced sex ratios as well. It will spread a good message and hopefully alter a few mindsets. In a country where girls are still unwanted by many families, Neha and Ranjeet show how pompously the birth of a girl should be celebrated. In her words-
“The decline of females in India’s sex ratio has been unstoppable. Women are one half of society and equals in every respect to men. To bring about social equilibrium, it is necessary to raise awareness about saving the girl child. Ecological awareness is equally important. We felt an effort for both should start from our home, and we hope our child’s generation follows this trend. We look forward to seeing the trees grow with her.”
Ranjeet and Neha believe in giving back to the environment. They hope that with their gesture, they have been able to return Nature’s favour in a small but meaningful way. Their primary hope is to forge a new tradition for their generation (and the next), which is more holistic as well as popular.
The couple plans to visit the plantations regularly and see to the maintenance of their initiative. They plan to replace the damaged plants, if such a case occurs. They plan to take help of the locals for this invigilation and maintenance.
Putting a sweet final note to the thoughtful work, Neha says-
“We look forward to seeing the trees grow with her.”
