Banker-turned-environmentalist Latika Thukral, 55, standing under the shade of an Indian acacia tree in Gurugram’s Badshahpur Forest Corridor, says giving the city green habitat is beyond flora and fauna for her. “Why do people have to go through garbage and sewage to go to work? This corridor links the housing societies together and now, when your help walks through it for work, they are passing through a lush forest. They have the dignity of space; This fact makes me happy every day,” she says.
The three-km Badshahpur corridor (soon to be expanded to 5 km) is the third major afforestation project undertaken by the charity Thukral co-founded 12 years ago- IAM Gurgaon. The area was once an open storm water drain that was overflowing with rubbish and construction debris. It took the workers six months to dig up the rubbish and clean the drains. Another six months were invested in building a footpath over the drain and then planting about 17,000 saplings on either side. The space was made more beautiful by using recycled boxes and building materials. Using recycled materials has also helped the team keep its costs down.
Thukral says with a smile, “Every few weeks I go to local government offices and dig up discarded items that we use to make public art installations, public seating areas and even recycle bins. We do.” Behind him, a white-orange tip butterfly flies over a blade of tall grass, and a handful of centipedes make the long, slow journey to the bark of a kikar tree. The plants in this corridor are just over a year old, yet the flora and fauna have expanded at an astonishing pace. “A naturalist came to this place last week and identified 14 species of butterflies,” she says.
The success was mainly due to the fact that all the plantings done were local. “We did a lot of research to come up with trees that are native to the Aravalli hills. Then a massive project was started to source their seeds. Our team visited wild and semi-wild areas to collect seeds during the fruiting season. These were then grown as saplings in our own nursery and then planted in the corridor,” says Thukral. She adds that when planting is done right, using suitable and sustainable plants, birds, butterflies and bees automatically follow. “All these plants require watering once a week. After three years, they don’t even need it, they can maintain themselves on their own. ,
Much of the team’s experience comes from their most comprehensive project to date – the Aravalli Biodiversity Park, a 380-acre city forest where IAM Gurgaon planted around 145,000 saplings with the help of local residents, school children and corporate volunteers. “The Aravalli hills are more than 3 billion years old. When we set out to build a city jungle, we wanted to honor the heritage of the rocks,” reflects Swanzal Kak Kapoor. In 2009, Kapoor and Thukral jointly co-founded IAM Gurgaon, inspired by the realization that the quality of life in the city is due to large-scale and unplanned urbanization, destruction of natural habitats, water logging and lack of civic responsibility. was decreasing. “Change can happen when citizens are aware and take action. We have seen a lot of interest in residents wanting to help and volunteering with us. People really like the green spaces we have created,” says Kapoor .
The Biodiversity Park is the result of such civic action. Today, the park is home to meadows, rocky outcrops, a groundwater recharge area, a research center for naturalists, and an educational space to teach the next generation the importance of nature. There are 106 species of trees, 60 species of climbers, 96 species of grasses. In addition, 200 species of birds have been observed, as well as eight types of frogs and about 50 types of butterflies.
Last year, the charity worked to create channels that would divert rainwater into forests and plains. It has had an immediate effect; This year, the usually flooded Golf Course Road did not go under water. Thukral explains, “The Golf Course Road is located at the foot of a hill, and hence water would naturally collect there.” She says the team has got the support of several corporates and government officials. Genpact, MakeMyTrip, IndusInd Bank and American Express are some of his donors. “We have another green corridor in the city that has been completed – Wazirabad Bandh,” she says.
Situated close to the famous Galleria market of Gurgaon, this 5 km trail is a welcome respite for the city dwellers. “I return from my job after an hour’s traffic and immediately meditate on a bench in the park,” says engineer Amrita Nanda, 36, a resident of nearby Hamilton Court Apartments. “I used to have high blood pressure due to stress, it gave me insomnia and panic attacks. My doctors have been asking me to meditate but it is difficult to find such inner peace within my home. It is easy to switch off in the green corridor. Every second there makes me happy.”
For the last 12 years, Thukral has devoted all his time to this work. There have been many challenges, but she says she has received a tremendous amount of gratitude and appreciation from residents. “Legal cases have been filed against me by those who did not want us to vacate the place as they were used to dumping their garbage there. But I stood my ground and fought back. I don’t see this work as what I have lost, but what I have found. For example, I have learned a lot about plants and birds by being on the ground every day. My energy, awareness and stamina have increased over the past decade. The conversation I have with the local Haryanvi gives me the most pleasure; These are experiences I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t done this job.”
Right now there are two major projects in the pipeline, one 200 acres and the other 80. Thukral says that with each project, it is not just nature, but also a sense of community and civic responsibility.
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