Rohit Kumar
Port Blair, 14 March 2023
They have been abandoned by their very own children, whom they had nurtured and made them settle in life. It’s the very reason they have lost their smiles and stay isolated with heavy hearts in old age homes.
With an attempt to bring back their lost smiles, #Bageecha – an initiative to bring people closer to nature, in association with Port Blair Guru Ki Rasoi and ISMAT- a women’s initiative, organised a planting workshop for the inmates of Old Age Home, Ferrargunj on Sunday, 12th March 2023. The workshop conducted at Bageecha was also joined by philanthropic souls as individuals and organisations Viz. Cute Cottons, Xtreme9 Gym and Mrs. Jasmine George, a teacher in Carmel Sr. Sec. School, Port Blair.
The day out for the seniors started with a brief note on the concept of Bageecha by Mr. Denis Giles, Editor, Andaman Chronicle, wherein it was explained that at Bageecha, people are encouraged to adopt plants and learn how to take care of them as new members of their family. This was followed by the workshop in which saplings of ornamental, flowering and medicinal plants were planted by the seniors. The plants were adopted by the seniors as their new children, who later took them back to their home with smiles on their faces.
To add to the positivity, a karaoke session was organised to entertain the gathering. The seniors present also shared their experiences of life and advised the youngsters on how to lead a meaningful life. The workshop concluded sharing lunch with the seniors and offering of return gifts by the philanthropists present.
“What better could it be if we are able to make the not so privileged seniors of our society feel that they are an important part of our society. I am grateful to all the meaningful souls who had joined at Bageecha to bring back lost smiles”, said Mr. Mandeep Grewal, President, Port Blair Guru ki Rasoi as the workshop concluded.
“We are looking forward for more such meaningful events and I’m hopeful that more philanthropists will be joining the Bageecha initiative to contribute to our society”, added Grewal.