City’s declining green cover troubled 24-year-old Tashi D. Uchiha who originally hails from Tibet. He decided to do something about it, change the scenario, one tree at a time.

“I’m from Tibet and came here to study. After my graduation, I started working. While I used to travel, I remember seeing these concrete buildings overpowering the greenery in the city. Even the amount of pollution that could be seen or felt, was disheartening.

I wanted to do something about it; I wanted to make a change, even if it was a small one. So I decided to go out and plant trees.

But it wasn’t as easy as you think– people wouldn’t allow me to plant trees on their land. And if by any luck they did allow me– they would make sure to tell me that they wouldn’t take any responsibility, because it wasn’t ‘profitable’ for them.

So, I came up with another solution. I decided to plant fruit trees. That way, everyone would be happy– I’d tell all the landlords that they can have the profit, as long as they promise to take care of the trees I plant on their land. And it’s worked every time!

It’s been a while now, and I’ve managed to plant over 60 trees– some of which have already borne fruit! I feel so happy!

When I still see these humongous buildings towering over the scenic beauty, I still hear about trees being cut down to make way for development– it bothers me. And I may not be able to make a world of a difference, but at least I can heal some of the damage– one tree at a time.”

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