Mumbai, Aug 3, 2020: The forested Aarey Colony, home to nearly 8,000 tribal people of Maharashtra, on August 3 witnessed a unique celebration of ‘Rakshabandhan” (bond of protection), or festival of siblings.
Many activists and tribals gathered at the forest and tied amulets called rakhis (color threads) to trees which have been threatened by various developmental projects. Led by the Aarey Conservation Group and other organizations, they vowed to protect trees by all means.
Amid the encroaching urbanization, the indigenous tribes residing in the Aarey Colony strive to keep their traditions alive, celebrate their distinguished culture and pass it on to the younger generations, while deeply caring for the forest that is their home, the organizers claimed.
The Aarey colony is also the site of the controversial metro car shed that resulted in felling of more than 2,000 trees in 2019, massive protests and the subsequent arrests of many young activists.
Calling the unique celebration ‘Vrikshabandhan,’ (bond with trees), a young activist, Manisha Dhinde said, “We are tying rakhis to the trees to protect them. We will do everything possible to protect these trees (of Aarey).”
The Aarey Colony is a neighborhood situated in Goregaon (East), a suburb of Mumbai. It was established in 1949 to revolutionize the processing and marketing of dairy products in the city.
Aarey Colony, which falls within the eco sensitive zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, is an urban, unclassed and degraded forest. It is classified as mixed moist deciduous type forest. Spread over 2000 acres, the colony acts as a buffer between the park and the city, being one of the few green spaces left in Mumbai.
The colony was the vision of Dari Khurody (1906-1983), a pioneer of dairy sector who shared the ‘1963 Ramon Magsaysay Award’ with Verghese Kurien, “Father of India’s While Revolution,” for revolutionizing the processing and marketing of milk in Mumbai.
Source: sabrangindia.in