Sreeram’s green mile: Activist plants trees, cleans road daily

By Y.Maheshwara Reddy | NT

Bengaluru: Every morning, Sreeram M., begins the day carrying plastic pots filled with water from the nearby stormwater drains to water saplings on the road between Mannam Nagar and Kashi Vishwanath Layout. It’s no mean feat, there are about 200 saplings that need watering, all of which he planted two years ago. “I’m free during the monsoon because there is no need to water the saplings,” Sreeram told News Trail. “I also spend my leisure time clearing the weeds around the saplings and beautifying black spots on the side of the road.”

Sreeram’s day job is at a bank but his environmental activism has taken place on the side for over a decade now. On Sundays, he goes with a friend, Ashok, to clear garbage from ITI Road. “It gives me immense pleasure,” he says. “I keep the road clean and remove weeds around the saplings. There was a time when ITI Road was full of garbage and weeds. We have cleaned it up.” He also joins hands with lake activists in Seegehalli and other areas to plant tree saplings on various lake bunds. “I lose nothing by allocating a few hours on weekends to preserve the environment. I have also encouraged my children and family members to contribute to the green cover in and around K.R. Puram.”

Last August, Sreeram and his family organized an event to make seedballs. The target was 20,000. The response from residents, he says, was overwhelming. “Though we could not meet the target, the event made me very happy because so many people came forward voluntarily to make seedballs.” These will be thrown at vacant and barren lands in Kolar district and he hopes to organize more in future, too.He recalls visiting B.R. Hills, Kollegal and H.D. Kote to create awareness among the tribals on the importance of education. “I am from the Soliga community. While creating awareness among my own community on the importance of education, I realised the need to plant saplings to ensure greenery around the temple at B.R. Hills. That’s how my own journey with environmental activism began!”