Udaipur city residents grow ‘mini forests’ to beat stress

UDAIPUR: ‘Mini forests’ are springing up in and around Udaipur city at a steady pace. Residents are planting clusters of indigenous plants and creating mini ecosystems.
The owners of these ‘mini forests’ claim the initiative had helped greatly in reducing their stress levels. “Birds, butterflies, insects and reptiles visiting the backyard is a beautiful sight to watch. The initiative is based on the work of Japanese botanist Dr Akira Miyawaki who pioneered the Miyawaki method, a technique of restoring indigenous forests,” said a resident. Udaipur got its first such ‘mini forest’ in May 2019 at the District Institute for Education and Training (DIET) office at Goverdhan Vilas. A senior citizen, Abbas Ali Bandookwala, sponsored the project which inspired many others to grow their own tiny forests.
“When my daughter Tabbasum gave birth to a baby girl, she wanted me to plant trees instead of spending money on feast or celebrations. I contacted an expert who helped me find a public place to set up a forest,” Bandookwala said. He spent around Rs 1.5 lakh and even volunteered during the planting session.
“I could have grown the forest on my private land, but then the pleasure would have been limited to my family only. Now, the forest is a public property and hundreds of people who visit the education office spread the word around and in turn inspire others to take up such initiative,” he said.
Jatin Suhalka, a businessman who owns a farmhouse in Dabok, terms it a ‘truly delightful’ feeling to own a forest. "I spend hours roaming around the trees, some of which have grown up 20 feet high," he said. In May 2019, Jatin had started planting saplings for the tiny forest with mixed varieties of over 350 native plants. "There are mahua, mango, baheda, kachnar, keekar and other species, all local to the Aravali range. One of the anjeer trees has started fruiting and we are already enjoying the taste. My home is quite far away from the farmhouse and my family loves to come here every weekend to spend time amid nature," said Jatin.
Vinu Hiran, another naturalist, too, is happy with her mini forest. "For city dwellers, a private green space is a delighting experience. Spending the morning and evening hours amid the plants itself has therapeutic affects," she said. Forest owners find it delightful to watch birds nesting on trees, squirrels running up and down and colorful butterflies fluttering around.
Bhuvnesh Ojha of Pukar Foundation, who is helping people with the plantation, said one can create a mini forest on a minimum holding of 20x20sqft and grow 40 varieties of native trees.