Green Friends

The group started with 10-15 people in the beginning but the numbers have increased over the years. At each meeting,there are at least 40 people attending,while the total count of the members might well exceed a hundred. The group meets on the first Saturday of every month to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for plants and environment and to plan various green initiatives such as cleaning and plantation drives,cycle rallies,lectures and so forth.

“I am an Ayurvedic doctor so I have a natural interest in the group but a surprisingly wide range of people come in,from ages 16 to 70,and many of them are regulars. It’s easy to become a member of the group; people just have to attend two meetings and they are considered members so over the years,our membership has been growing,” says Dr. Umesh Ambegaonkar,who joined the group when it first began in 2000.

Last month,the group screened a short film about an expedition to Mount Everest,an event that saw a majority of young students in the audience,Ambegaonkar notes. “We think that young people will not be interested in all this but even in our cleanliness drives and our tree-planting drives,there are a lot of students from different parts of Pune. This is very encouraging for us,” he says.

The group organises cleanliness and tree-plantation drives at least once every year,especially on World Environment Day on June 5,and have visited and helped various villages and towns in places such as Mulshi,Saswad and Sinhagad. “We mostly take the cleaning drives to forts and tourist spots because people throw plastic bags,food and other garbage in those places,” says Kedar Kavade,a member. Apart from the cleanliness drives,the group also goes on treks and picnics to lesser known spots such as Tamini Ghat,Varanda Ghat and other places around Pune.

The group has made several attempts to encourage more people to visit the famous garden,which is also known by the moniker ‘Jewel Of Pune’. “Every month we organise film screenings and lectures and then distribute pamphlets about the events to encourage more people to come. So far it’s been working because we see new people at every meeting,” says Kavade.

Keeping track of members has been difficult for them so the group now intends to start charging an annual fee of Rs 100 for regular members. “This will encourage the members to be more regular at the meetings and it helps us cover the costs we incur at our monthly meetings,” says Pingale,the founder.