His organic garden gives sustainable goals to others

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 26

With a mission to increase the green cover in the city and plant over 50,000 saplings in a year, Vishkarampal Singh Dhiman (29), a city resident is giving sustainable goals to others through his lush green garden at his home.

Home to various medicinal plants, including giloy, tulsi, insulin, moringa tea (a herbal tea with anti-cancer properties, beneficial to digestion and skin) and others, Dhiman’s garden indicates that he is an ardent nature lover. He has also planted different varieties of fruits, vegetables and decorative plants in his lawn. He says he got inclined towards environment when he returned from London, after completing his higher studies.

“When I came back from London around three years ago, what bothered me was acute air pollution and dying green cover. When in abroad, I used to find myself surrounded with plants and trees and the fresh air always used to lift my mood. However, it was exactly opposite here. Though we already had old trees, I tried to utilise more space for expanding the green cover. I began by planting pine trees, neem, lemon, mini oranges and ferns. I took care of my plants with the help of our gardener and saw them growing into trees. The air quality near my house is much better and there is nothing better than breathing better air. Recently, I also added papaya and mango trees in my garden and I am also planning to cover the rest of the space with branched plants,” added Vishkarampal, a resident of Lajpat Nagar.

Notably, executing his plans, that he nurtured around two years ago, he also launched his ‘Vish Foundation’ this year, for the beautification of chowks and flyover. With the help of his team, he planted hundreds of saplings.

Besides this, he also turned the vacant area in his ancestral house into an organic farm. Promoting organic farming and shunning chemically- produced vegetables, he grows all kinds of seasonal vegetables and some seasonal fruits in his organic farm.

While he already has a dedicated space for vegetables including, brinjal, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, green vegetables, lemon, chillies, pumpkin and radish and green vegetables, he is now planning to include dragon fruit, avocado and lettuce in his farm.

“Surrounded by lush green trees is seems like being in a wellness retreat. Through this green mission, I will inspire people to work towards ridding the society of environment degradation,” added Dhiman.