They’re retired but relentless: A quiet band of seniors in Mohali are planting hope for the future, one tree at a time

One earth, one family

“Yes, we are a family now. Recently, I packed 14 members of our group into two cars, went to Patiala and celebrated my grandson’s Lohri there,” says Harmesh Singh Matharu, 67, who retired as executive engineer, Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation.

It is the earth indeed that has brought these people together, but there was only one person in the beginning.

“When I started, I was alone. From 2017 to 2019, I single-handedly planted 300 saplings in my neighbourhood,” says Hari Ram Shimar, 71, who retired as assistant general manager, State Bank of India. He grew plants, not a beard, but was over time joined by bearded fellow volunteers. “People noticed and came to me. We started expanding in 2019,” Hari adds.

By the beginning of 2021, the Eco Plantation Association was registered with the realisation that – in Hari Ram’s words – there is “an utmost urgency for planting 700 crore trees every year in our country.”

14,000 saplings and counting

On its part, the association has planted 14,000 saplings so far, says its president Malkiat Singh, 70, who retired as manager from Punjab Tractors Limited, acquired by Mahindra and Mahindra in 2007. “My mother is 95. She lives in our village near Malerkotla. Even she planted a sapling in our park and donated Rs 1,100 to us.”

While their membership has gone up, with 70-80 members in their WhatsApp group, only 14-15 people come daily, according to the president. Regular female participation is ensured by Baljit Kaur, 69, an agent with Max Life insurance. “I have been in love with plants since Class 5. I joined the group in 2022,” she says. Software engineer Tanvir Singh, 50, is the person who infuses ‘youthful energy’ into the group. “I began associating with them in 2022. I like to do digging during plantation, and hammering while putting the tree guard,” he says.

The seniors have also developed a herbal park in Sector 69.

The eldest – and the fittest – of them all is Joginder Singh, 80, who retired as a supervisor from the Ministry of Defence. An avid 100-metre runner and javelin thrower, he has won a few athletic competitions as well. “We need to speed up to boost the greenery of our country,” he says.

The dada-dadis and nana-nanis are out in the field early in the morning, from 8 am to 10.30 am, with a tea break at 9 am. “We plant new saplings and tend to old ones every day. Everyone brings tea and snacks by taking turns. We celebrate birthdays and other happy occasions over tea,” says Malkiat, who gets up at 3 am.

The seniors have also developed a herbal park in Sector 69 with 21 different kinds of herbs, bringing waste concrete material, including tiles, paver blocks, and bricks, and put it to good use in the park, which serves as their headquarters now. Besides, there is a plant nursery that caters to people’s needs free of cost.

A Hyundai Accent plus some jugaad

To accelerate their efforts, Ramesh donated his Hyundai Accent car to the association in 2023. A 500-litre tanker was joined to it with some jugaad, and now it has become their identity car. “We use this car daily to ferry plants and tree guard materials made of bamboo sticks and plastic mesh. We also use it to water the plants,” says Kulwant Singh Aulakh, 59, an agriculturist.

Watering plants during summers has, however, been a daunting task for the group.

But this time, they are going to find it easier as the group was sanctioned Rs 3 lakh from the MP Local Area Development fund for a 4,000-litre tanker. The group has already bought a second-hand tractor worth Rs 3.5 lakh through contributions. “We don’t have any membership fee. We make contributions as and when required. Initially, we used to contribute Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 each. For the tractor, everyone opened their purse strings and collected the money within a short span of time,” says Ramesh.

“Trees are very important for our planet. We should plant more and more of them. Everyone should plant at least one tree for a future that is free of pollution,” says Malkiat.

The group’s sincere and selfless efforts won praise from Mohali Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu, who honoured them this Republic Day. “I have seen many NGOs. Each one of them has vested interests. But these guys don’t have any axe to grind. They are just doing social service. If everyone starts working like them, our city will become cleaner and greener.”

Om Parkash, a Mohali-based environmentalist known for his love for medicinal plantation, too, finds the group’s efforts praiseworthy. He says, “Punjab is heavily polluted, green cover is going down. We need people like them in the entire state to save us.”