BENGALURU: Thousands of schoolchildren from districts across the state gathered at
Lalbagh Botanical Gardens
here on Friday to participate in a mega environmental awareness programme 'My Tree, My Life'.
It is also an attempt to beat the previous world record for most people hugging trees, which was set in
Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram earlier this year. About 13,800 people, including 12,000 children, expressed their love for nature by hugging trees for one minute.
The message behind the event was to demonstrate the bond between trees and children. Kids from
Kolar
and Shivamogga were among the participants, besides environmentalist
Yellappa Reddy
and officials from the horticulture department. The event, which was organized by six clubs that comes under Rotary district 3190, also witnessed participation of volunteers, ordinary citizens and corporate employees.
"A lot has been said and done about planting saplings to safeguard the planet. But it is also very important to think about existing trees around us and the war being waged on them by the concrete jungle around. Kids are the best way to send a strong message across to all," said
Rajaneesh C, service director and president elect of Rotary 3190.
As the event was an attempt to break the existing world record, bar code registration was done for all the participants along with the observers. After a series of mock drills, the event began around 11am wherein children were spread across Lalbagh in specially demarcated zones. "We will send our claim to the world record to the requisite authorities and wait for validation," said Rajaneesh.
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