A new idea takes root on Chandigarh school’s green route

For a school that already has a herbal garden and herbal plant nursery on its campus, the new post is the next big step. The step, Francis claims, aims to achieve 100% herbal and medicinal plant literacy among its students.

“This is a historic moment. As far as I know, such a post didn’t exist earlier anywhere in the country. The school has taken a commendable step. This will not only go a long way in spreading awareness about medicinal plants but will also open up new opportunities for entrepreneurship and skill development under the new education policy,” says Dr Arun Chandan, regional director (north), National Medicinal Plants Board.

Om Parkash, principal coordinator of eco clubs and environment societies (schools and colleges), UT Department of Environment, has been appointed to the post. “We wanted to take advantage of his experience and knowledge,” says Francis.

Parkash, on his part, is excited. “The new role has filled me with new energy. All my life I taught social science and Punjabi to my students, and retired as a Punjabi lecturer. Now I am teaching a subject that is close to my heart,” he says.

His Punjabi — or a mix of Punjabi, Hindi and a little bit of English — poses no problem for the students who are used to English as a medium of instruction. “Language is no barrier. We understand whatever he teaches,” says Tazmeen Kaur, 13, Class 9.

The teaching takes place in the open — in the Botanical Garden to be precise. “I felt I was in the lap of nature. There were so many plants. It was an amazing experience. I gained a lot of knowledge about Ayurveda which is the basis of Indian culture,” says Kaur, talking about her visit to the garden.

Another student smelled “scent of hope” in the garden. “The visit connected us with something we had lost. Sir helped us loosen up. Ayurveda is the foundation of India. There is no doubt about it. Now I would talk to my family and friends about our rich heritage,” says Dhara Kulashri, 13, Class 9.

Seema Gupta, head of environment department and incharge of eco club, is happy to see the school grow greener. “I joined the school in 2007 and have been associated with the eco club since then. We have a green house and a manure pit as well. We are doing rainwater harvesting to recharge the water table and have installed solar panels.

Besides, we carry out plantation drives, distribute cloth bags made by students, and stage nukkad nataks to raise awareness about the environment. All these activities we hold outside the school.”

According to the principal, the school allows no plastic bags and no junk food on the campus, and believes in “giving only plants as a token of appreciation to guests and chief guests”.

Meanwhile, the ‘back to the (medicinal) roots’ journey continues. “We have more than 2,000 students. Each one of them will be taken to the Botanical Garden. We want our students to reach a stage where they are able to tell their parents not to take medicines for problems that can be treated with medicinal plants,” says Francis.