Biodiversity Conservation & Research Trust

“ Shreya’s First Year Birthday  Tree – 2008”

Our Family Introduction to BCRT:

To write about my bond with BCRT brings back several memories of my first days in USA, a new land away from home, where I had landed to pursue my higher studies.When I came to Columbus Ohio USA in the year 2002 and joined the Ohio State University, it was all new beginning to me - a stranger I was here and looking like a lost puppy in the largest campus in the nation. It was during these first few weeks of survival that I met the friendly couple - Malali Gowda and Roopalakshmi (Gowdru and Roopakka always to me).  A relationship that grew stronger with every meeting with them. Gowdru always had great vision of nature and conservation of our mother Earth and her resources and made sure all his family and friends were educated on the subject. When Gowdru and Roopakka talked about BCRT as a Trust and started working on it, I just knew I was going to be part of it, for I believed in Gowdru vision and his commitment.I still remember dropping in my little donation in the hundi dabba (Piggy Bank) on which Gowdru had written, BCRT trust fund for medicinal plants. Even his year old son Chandrachud was donating his contribution to that little box...It is amazing to see how much BCRT has grown over these few years and I am confident that it will grow further and expand like a banyan tree in the coming times............

As Sir Winston Churchill once said continuous effort is the key to unlocking our potential, truly the efforts of Gowdru and the BCRT team has shown its power...and promises a brighter future.

Why BCRT attracted our family ?

The sheer concept of environmental protection and working for a cause of afforestation for a better tomorrow was compelling and having seen BCRT grow from Gowda's dream vision into a reality, made my involvement with BCRT more stronger as I believed in its concept completely.

Years have gone by, several changes in our lives and as I write from New Jersey, Gowdru receives emails at North Carolina.....but BCRT has always been our common companion...My husband Suresh has been very supportive of my interest in BCRT and also has taught me few things in energy conservation and how little efforts in our daily life can go a long way in conserving natural resources, including taking our own steel bottles when we travel rather than buying water bottles at every rest area or reusing our grocery bags for weekly shopping etc.  When we see our daughter Shreya taking her first steps on the grass lawn in front of our home, we understand the phrase better - " A green and beautiful earth for our coming generations...that is the best gift we can give...."

Green Thoughts Strengthened by our Parents

The constant guidance and motivation by my parents - Dad Puttaswamy and Mom Vanajadevi, and their influence on me, and my thoughts of Nature has been crucial in my volunteering for causes like BCRT. My parents since childhood taught me and my brother Kiran the value of nature, by helping us nurture our own gardens in our front yards. For their love of green land our parents have 10 acres of land in the outskirts of Bangalore, which they have solely devoted for development of Thota (garden in crude terms) with lots and lots of varieties of trees. My mom says that they would love to spend their old age in a small house that they would build amidst the trees in this giant garden land. A garden that our parents want us children to inherit from them as a wish for prosperity and greener future!

Birthday Tree Grove at Our Parents Garden

Gowdru wonderful idea of Birthday TREE Grove, attracted my parents with its unique idea. As loving grandparents, they started this ritual by planting a sweet mango tree for their granddaughter Shreya's birthday at their thota. I have attached a few pictures of it below for your view. They also took a green cake with them for a green theme celebration and shared it with people from surrounding areas and workers at thota. Soon after the planting, the first thing my parents said when they called me was - It was wonderful and they felt so happy to have celebrated Shreya's birthday in such a manner! When I saw the photos of the celebration, I felt the same way...it was unique and very special!

“We (Shreya’s grand parents) are proud to be a part of BCRT’s BTG project”

Our future plans – spread Birthday-Tree-Grove concept

Our thought is to encourage and spread this idea of green planting celebration for not just our little one's birthday but also for everyone in the family. As my In-laws, Ramachar and Indiramma always say, even if we spread this idea among immediate family members and start planting for every birthday, there will be over 50 trees in one year!! We are also very happy to be donating to BTG project where the BCRT volunteers will be planting a green sapling for every big cake that we cut to celebrate an important day in our lives! I really think this is a wonderful way of celebration!  

Along with my family, I would like to thank Gowdru and the BCRT family for encouraging the idea of BTG, a thought that caught all our enthusiasm and excitement, a memory of our celebrations that will stand for years to come and be truly an evergreen sweet memory!  

Grow Green!!!

   ....Kanchan, Suresh, Shreya and Grandparents