Story link: http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/sieve/article/the-smritivan-idea-catches-on

Commemorative tree planting was an idea pioneered by Smritivan of Pune. The idea was to motivate people to plant trees by appealing to their sentiments. It has certainly caught on.

After Sikkim [over 50,000 saplings so far!] and Madurai [164 acres], the idea has now arrived in Chennai

For a one time payment of Rs.500 you can have a tree associated with your birth star, planted and maintained for three years by the C P Ramaswamy Environment Education Centre [CPREEC], Chennai. The State department that manages temples and temple lands in Tamil Nadu has directed 250 temples around Chennai to have Star Gardens.

For over 3,000 years Indians have associated each of the 27 birth stars with a specific tree. Despite the race to become ‘modern’, the pull of ancient memories appear strong in Indians