Students of a Kochi school are holding a first-of-its- kind flower show to mark Eco-Friendly Day. All the exhibits have been grown by the children themselves in the backyards of their homes.
Almost all the 1,500 high school students of Our Lady’s Convent Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Palluruthy, have been toiling hard for the past five months to grow flowers in their own home gardens under a unique initiative titled ‘Njanum ente Poontotavum’ (I and My Garden).
“The two-day flower-show will be open to the public from Thursday. Each of the high school students will bring one sapling or plant from their garden to exhibit in the flower show. This is part of our attempt to encourage them to nurture nature,” said Sister Lissi Chakalakkal, co-ordinator of the project.
Impressed by the efforts of the children, the Kerala Forest Department has agreed to donate flowering plants for display at the event. From common flowering plants like jasmine, rose, orchid and anthurium, to the more rare scabious, celosia, calla lilies, agapanthus, echinops, alliums and aloe vera plants, the students’ collection has them all, thanks to tips from their English teacher, Lally Roshan, a rank-holder in BFA Fine Arts, who guided them in their gardening.
It all started three years ago when the state government introduced the Ente Maram (My Tree) project under which students were given neem seedlings to grow in their backyards. “However, from the start it seemed impractical in a city like Kochi as families here often don’t have such large spaces. But then we came up with the idea of launching a parallel programme to encourage the students to set up a garden in school,” Sister Lissi added. The garden proved to be a success and encouraged, the school went on to launch the Njanum ente Poontotavum project in June this year.
“It's a wonderful hobby and gives me great satisfaction. I will bring aloe vera and jasmine plants to the show this time and will grow more flowering plants in future,” said Shahana Muhammed, a class X student.
“Gardening is an art that helps us move closer to nature. It refreshes us and makes our life enjoyable,” added school leader, Eiffi Francis. A teachers’ panel will visit each of the students’ houses in December to select the best garden from among the 1,500 created.