President Murmu Lauds Green India Challenge, Receives "Vriksha Vedam 2.0" at Rashtrapati Bhavan

According to a press release, the President described the present era as both an Amruth Kala (a golden age of opportunity) and an Apad Kala (an age of crisis), warning that humanity stands on the edge of greed, having forgotten the sacred reality of the Pancha Bhutas -- the five foundational elements of all existence.

As per the release, she invoked a verse from the Taittiriya Upanishad describing the sequential creation of the five elements -- from the Supreme Self arose Akasha (Space), from Space arose Vayu (Air), from Air arose Agni (Fire), from Fire arose Jalam (Water), and from Water arose Prithivi (Earth).

The President reminded the gathering that every human being is born from these five elements and shall return to the Prithivi through Punarjanam (rebirth), and must therefore cultivate a spiritual intelligence that honours the interconnectedness of all life and nature, the release said.

Quoting a passage from the book, the President said, "Life flourishes only when the Earth is green," and expressed hope that the Green India Challenge would make a transformative impact across the nation.

She commended the movement's journey of planting approximately 19.6 crore saplings across diverse regions over eight years and applauded Santosh Kumar and his team for turning environmental protection into a collective social responsibility, according to the release.

The Green India Challenge was launched on July 17, 2018, under the slogan "Hara Hai Toh Bhara Hai" (If it is Green, it is Full of Life). What began in Hyderabad has since expanded into a nationwide and international movement, engaging citizens, celebrities, industrialists, and political leaders in the mission of restoring India's green cover, the release said.

The President also acknowledged the Challenge's initiatives in restoring Reserve Forests across Telangana, the project to grow 20,000 mangrove saplings in the Sundarbans of West Bengal, and the 'Koti Vriksharchana' (Worship of Ten Million Trees) programme, which drew praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The delegation received by the President included Rajya Sabha MPs K R Suresh Reddy, Vaddiraju Ravichandra, B Pardhasaradhi Reddy, and Joginipally Santosh Kumar, along with M Karunakar Reddy, Founder of Igniting Minds Organisation, and Sanjeevula Raghavendra, Co-Founder of Green India Challenge.

The release further said that the event at Rashtrapati Bhavan reaffirmed that India's ancient ecological wisdom -- rooted in the Vedas and Upanishads -- holds the answers to the gravest environmental challenges of the modern age.

The release added that the President's invocation of the Pancha Bhuta Shloka was a clarion call: that every individual must recognise their inseparable bond with the five elements and take conscious, spiritual, and practical action to conserve the environment, protect biodiversity, and ensure a liveable planet for future generations.

- ANI