One Trip, Two Lessons & Lots of Fun.

Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Shouted my Alarm Clock. It was 6:00AM in the morning, and for once, I was not sad for getting up so early. I jumped from my bed and in half an hour, I was ready. My mom was shocked at my enthusiasm. Ofcourse, why wouldn't she? Her daughter who would say "5 more mins Amma, Please" when woken up at 12, has woken up at 6 and has gotten ready without a single word. All I know is, I was excited. I was going off on my First School Trip. Whole day with friends, and no RULES for just a while! How lovely. I was in 4th Grade at that time.

The trip was scheduled to begin at 8 and for once every single student was present before 7:30. There were murmurs everywhere. Everyone was excited for the trip. At 8, we all boarded our bus, and left. Where to? We didn't know. We didn't care. We were told that we would be camping somewhere peaceful. Well, will it ever be peaceful if we all were there? Never!!

We reached the place at 10. The journey was fantastic. We sang and danced and played. We were having lots of fun. Soon, we were all tired out and were hungry. We got down from the bus, to see a catering stand. Aah! Yum. After filling our stomachs, we turned around to take a look at our so-called "Camping Place". Our eyes nearly came out due to shock. Where in the world were we?

Camping Place. Image Courtesy: Google.

The picture shows exactly how the place was. Why were we shocked you ask? We hail from THE GARDEN CITY. We grew up with Trees and plants around us. In other words, we grew up with nature. And all of a sudden we are brought out a place where there are no trees. NO TREES!! I hadn't even imagined that there would be such a place.

We turned to our teachers to give us some explanation. Looking at our curious faces, the teachers asked us to sit down so that they could tell us what exactly we were there for. Without another word we all sit down and stare at them intently. Our PT Sir started walking around us as our dear class teacher began to speak.

"You are all wondering why you are brought our here, right?", she asked.
We All Nodded.
"As you can see, this place doesn't have a single tree. Now, you all know the importance of trees don't you?"
"It gives Oxygen", shouted our Class Nerd. Duh! Common Sense..
"Thats right. But there are many other uses of Trees as well. Today, I will tell you a story. But, you all will help me with it."
Our hearts leaped. Story!!!

"Firstly, There is a big bag in the van. I want each of you to go over there, and pick up one plant, which you like and come back over here".


We formed a line. Went straight to the van, and picked up a plant. Which one? We didn't know. We just picked up the ones we thought was beautiful. Along with the plant we were given a shovel. We collected our things, and walked back to our places.

"So, everyone of you have got a plant. Good. Now, Sit down where ever you are standing and start digging".

Planting Trees. Image Courtesy: Google.

We were her lovely little kids weren't we? So, we did as she said. While we dug, she started with the story.

"Once upon a time, there lived a king. He was very well known for his courage and skills. One day, the King fell ill. At that times, there were no doctors, and no English medicines. So, a medicine had to be prepared from the plants and trees. The King sent for the best ayurvedic medics and announced that he would give a Big Prize for the one who cures his illness. And so, people flocked from near and far, bringing all kinds of Sharbats for the king. But nothing seemed to cure him. That is when one of his own courtmen, brought him a LEAF and asked the king to eat it. After eating those leaves for 2 days, the King's illness was cured. He called forward his courtmen, and asked him what he wanted. The courtmen smiled and said, 'Jahanpana, the Leaf I brought to you was the leaf of TULASI plant. It is very well known for its power to cure many illnesses. Today, there are not many Tulasi plants left. I request you to get them planted in our kingdom, so that no one faces terrible illnesses.'. The king was very happy with his request. And as per his words, he made sure that the Tulasi plant was planted everywhere in his kingdom. That was the healthiest kingdom from then onwards".


The story came to an end and so was our Planting. All of us had dug the earth and planted our plants. The place looked beautiful now. It was colorful. Just the way nature is supposed to be.

"Plants and Trees Save our lives", said my friend.
The teacher smiled and nodded. "So, from now you know why its essential to grow plants and trees?"
We all shouted "YES!".


Our teacher laughed. She turned to us and said, "You know, people cut trees to build furniture and to make paper. Everyday many trees are cut down for the same reason"
"But they plant another tree, right then, don't they Mam?", Asked my classmate.
"Yes they do. But it is better to use Eco-Friendly books right? Why kill a tree when it has done you no harm?"
"We will use only Eco-Friendly books from now, Mam", We all said.
"Yes you will", She smiled.

Enjoying with Nature. Image Courtesy: Google.

After this, we sat in a circle and had lots of fun, sharing our stories. Everyone had different stories. Some were funny and some were sad, but it was full of knowledge.
Even I shared my story. I told everyone how I love Gardening, and how I always water the plants with my Grandpa. We were all really happy.
Our teacher, really pleased with us, gave us all a big Gift. She presented each one of us with a small Tulasi plant.
That day, as soon as we all reached home, first thing we did was, put the plant in a pot.
After this every month, we used to plant a NEW PLANT in our school gardens. And, till we left the school we took care of it. Even now, when we visit our school, the first thing we do is Go check our Plants. Which are big trees now. I can't express how I felt, when I looked at MY TREE. The Tree which I had planted, and looked after. I just love it.

That day, we learned 2 things:
1> Plants and Trees not only give Oxygen but are helpful to Living Beings in many ways.
2> Plants and Trees are the Best Friends one can have in life. The happiness that they present us with is much more than buying a doll or getting a playstation. Its Blissful.



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