Over 5,000 enthusiastic students and volunteers on Thursday planted 10,000 saplings in 3 minutes to create Bharathi Vanam on Bharathiar University premises to mark the 4th death anniversary of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Bharathi Vanam is an afforestation project by Siruthuli in association with Bharathiar University to create a Miyawaki urban forest in the city. The project is sponsored by ZF Wind Power Coimbatore Private Limited.

K Murugan, Registrar in-charge, N. Jayakumar and P. Thirunavukkarasu, Members of the Vice-Chancellors Committee, S. P. Anbarasan, chairman of Nallaram Trust, Ruban Shankar Raj, Project Director of DRDA, S.V. Balasubramanian, chairman of Siruthuli, Deepak Pohekar, executive director of ZF Wind Power Coimbatore Pvt. Ltd. and Vanitha Mohan, managing trustee of Siruthuli took part in the inaugural ceremony along with Syndicate members, university administrators, staff and students.

The project is being executed with the support of volunteers from NSS cell of various affiliated colleges of Bharathiar University, private colleges, students of local schools, corporates, Rapid Action Force Battalion, Forest Department, Raksha Ladies Club and apex members of Siruthuli.

Though the aim was to plant 10,000 saplings in 5 minutes, the volunteers completed it in 3 minutes, a press release from Siruthuli said.