Gift a tree and tie a rakhi as well campaign caught the imagination of many here on Sunday.

‘Bakul Foundation’ as part of its My Tree Campaign came up with the campaign. They had a Combo offer for those interested but not finding a way to do that. Interested people can buy a packaged gift plant which could be a tree growing plant like mango, jackfruit etc or a medicinal plant in lovely white baskets along with a handmade organic rakhi with seeds of amaranthus and bixa inside, which can be planted after the occasion.

These rakhis have been made with non-GM cotton grown by villagers in Chhindwara of MP, hand spun on charkhas by women in Wardha of Maharashtra, naturally dyed by artisans in Erode and then made into bands by women in the village of Paradsinge in Madhya Pradesh. The cost of the gift pack was Rs 250.

Ever since Bakul Foundation started the My Tree Campaign in 2009, it has been promoting the practice of “Rakhis for Plants and Plants for Rakhis”.The volunteers went out tying rakhi to plants celebrating a sibling relationship with plants. BAKUL has also been promoting gifting of plants to sisters as trees are the real rakshaks.

The floods in Kerala and before that Uttarakhand have underscored the importance of planting trees, which are proven to prevent flooding and soil erosion. Trees hold back flood water and allowing them to be drained into the ground.

Similarly, the campaign has promoted gifting of plants as part of the gifting culture in Diwali etc.

The campaign draws attention also to other popular gifts. One poster asks, what happened to your gifts of the previous year and shows the box of chocolates finished, the teddy bear little damaged and the bouquet in the dust bin. But the plant that was gifted had grown.

Sujit Mahapatra of Bakul says that in the 9 years since the campaign started, there has been significant change. Whereas people found it difficult what Bakul meant when it talked about the culture of gifting plants in 2009, now, many people understood, appreciated and had started the practice of gifting plants.

He is hopeful that with continued efforts, a cultural change could happen.