GREEN DRIVE BEGAN FROM HOME
In the earlier issue of Karma Konnect, I mentioned how my association with Nek Chand Ji, a self-taught artist famous for transforming trash and debris into the world-famous Rock Garden of Chandigarh, had turned me into an environmentalist. In 1987, I set a target of planting 1 lakh trees in Delhi over the next 10 years.
The decision to reach that figure meant that I had to plant 10,000 trees a year. Abiding by the guiding principle: ‘Greening, like charity, begins at home; but should not end there’, I began the drive from my own house in Golf Links. De-concretisation of both sides of the driveway was done to plant more trees. Thereafter, the garden landscape underwent a transformation to accommodate many more trees and shrubs. Next, the spaces immediately outside my house, including the brown patch of land that was called ‘a public park’, were turned into a mini forest. The practice expanded. We beautified the streets by planting trees and maintaining them within a 1 km radius (including a police station) from my commercial and residential establishments. This marked the beginning of my romance with social plantation, which I realised was my true calling. Schools and colleges began approaching me for funding their annual festivals, and I would convert the discussions into tree-lining their boundary peripheries. It mostly worked.
This was also the time when the winds of change were blowing in Tihar Jail under Kiran Bedi, who was my tennis friend. Now the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, she was then the Inspector General of Prisons.
The entire prison protocols and management were being ‘humanised’ under her leadership. Because of my association with her and the staff, a massive tree plantation drive took place in Jails 1 to 4. Ironically, in November 2011, when I landed up in Tihar Jail for a 6-day stay due to a wrongful accusation, during my morning and evening walks, those very trees that I had planted provided me with shade and succour. It was an interesting observation that the survival rate of trees planted and maintained by Tihar Jail inmates was 90 per cent, whereas fewer than 10 per cent of trees survived at the local Greater Kailash police station. These had been planted by us but maintained by the police.
Meanwhile, in the process of greening the environs, I had become immensely close to the trees I was planting. I would often check their growth and feel elated at their survival rate. That affection has taken another course, and whenever I find the opportunity, I take detours to communicate (in silence) with the trees I have planted along the roadsides and on my own properties.
While undertaking this journey towards various eco-initiatives, I have faced several stumbling blocks. A major one occurred when I went out of my way to remove advertisement boards nailed to the trees. Nailing boards on trees is not only illegal, but people also do not realise that nails eventually kill trees. My family, friends, and the entire staff volunteered to help me in this mission. Everyone had a hook-hammer lying in their vehicle at all times.
On a few occasions, some of us were even assaulted and taken to the police station to explain why we were trying to ‘affect’ local businesses by removing the boards. After a few years of tree planting, but without meeting my target of 10,000 trees a year, I realised that the best option to plant more trees was to buy suburban and rural land. Beginning with investment in the Vasant Kunj (Green Avenue) property, by 1989, I had started major land banking. In hindsight, it was a smart move; in real estate parlance, what was happening meant ‘investing in horizontal real estate’. The land acquisition for an ecoresort, now known as Karma Lakelands, also began around that time. However, back then, it became a cause of concern.
In the mid-1990s, the Government of Haryana was planning and significantly expanding its abutting industrial township in Manesar. It came to my notice that if we kept our lands dedicated solely to growing trees, they would soon be acquired by the government and incorporated into the ever-expanding Industrial Model Township (IMT).
To retain this significant piece of land, we needed a substantial plan. Thus, a think-tank comprising international project appraisal companies, local tourism officials, and golf, real estate, and hospitality experts was created to develop sustainable ideas for the land. As for reaching the target of planting 1 lakh trees within a decade, I had surpassed that mark. I continue the practice, but without stressing myself over achieving any specific target.
In fact, at Karma Lakelands (KL), an eco-responsible golf resort with luxury living options in Gurugram, we have planted over 2 lakh trees and plants in the past 20 years. Not only that, we are committed to several other eco-friendly practices. To learn more about our efforts in rainwater harvesting, sewage treatment, and solar energy projects, watch for the next issue of the magazine.