Giant rakhi to be tied to tree for environment protection

LUCKNOW - A special 8 feet high rakhi, made of various discarded household materials, will be tied to an old tree in the Uttar Pradesh capital on Raksha Bandhan Tuesday to sensitise the public on various environmental issues, an activist said Monday.

Under the aegis of Mahanagar Vyapar Mandal, people from different walks of life have come together to prepare the giant rakhi, weighing over 25 kg that would be tied to a tree.

“Tying of the giant rakhi around the tree would symbolise a step towards environment protection,” the activist Anoop Mishra, involved in the preparation of the rakhi, told reporters here.

“For tying the rakhi we have chosen a Gular (Ficus) tree, which is believed to be around 90 years old. The reason behind selecting it is the fact that once the tree was on the verge of the extinction, but got a new life after some locals started caring for it. By tying the rakhi, in a way we would also be celebrating the virtual re-birth of the tree,” he added.

The rakhi prepared has been christened ‘Paryavaran Raksha Sutra’ and has messages like “Save Trees”, “Spread Greenery”, and “It’s your responsibility to save Mother Earth”.

The rakhi projects rainwater harvesting as its main theme by showing “Mother Earth” spreading its hand for water.

“The interesting feature about the rakhi other than its size and height is that it has been made from discarded or useless substances that we all have in our homes,” Mishra said.

“While the base of the rakhi has been prepared from plywood, we have used old clothes, colourful buttons, glossy pages of newspapers and other items to beautify the rakhi,” he added.

On Raksha Bandhan, Mahanagar Vyapar Mandal would organise a number of programmes to spread environmental awareness, having roped in several school children, teachers and social activists.