College in Lawspet sets an example in greening initiatives

Tagore College has converted about 13 acres of barren land into green reserve

The campus has more than 3,000 varieties of plants, fruitbearing trees, butterfly species and birds.

Tagore Government Arts and Science College, alma mater of distinguished academicians and political personalities, is setting an example in campus greening initiatives.

Located in an elevated part of the city in Lawspet, the TAC has converted about 13 acres of once barren land into lush green reserve. In fact, the bio-diverse surroundings that house over 3,000 varieties of flowering plants and fruit-bearing trees, has even reported peacock sightings in recent times.

CM’s award

Though the greening of the campus has been acknowledged by NGOs and featured in the U.S.-based Good News Network, the highest accolade yet for the efforts came during the Independence Day celebrations when Chief Minister N. Rangasamy presented the ‘Chief Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration’ to college principal Sasi Kanta Dash, who has championed the environmental cause.

Until 2017 when Mr. Dash took over, the campus was largely barren but for a few trees. Since assuming charge as principal, he undertook sustained greening initiatives that in a short span of a few years turned a sparsely-wooded campus into a lush green mini-forest which has more than 3,000 varieties of plants, fruit-bearing trees, a variety of butterfly species and birds.

The flora features hibiscus, bougainvillea and jasmine, peepal, neem, banyan, mango, fig, casuarinas and even cannonball trees. The campus has also grown into a natural habitat for birds including owls, sparrows, kingfishers, cuckoos and woodpeckers.

A vegetable garden is also maintained on the campus with the produce ranging from brinjal and bottle gourd to tomatoes and snake gourd. The vegetables from the kitchen garden are used to feed the birds or donated to the needy.

Apart from maintaining a regular supply to the college canteen, the produce is also made available for visitors. In fact, the garden supplies helped serve more than 600 families, 72 elderly people and five villages during pandemic.

Taking the eco-friendly measures one step further, the college has created a water recharging pond with potential to save nearly 1.2 million litres of water inside the campus. Mr. Dash said his interest in environmentalism had begun to grow long before he came to the city, during his posting in various places such as Arunachal Pradesh and Hyderabad where he experienced how quickly green landscapes were turning brown.

The turning point, though, was the posting at TAC where he was particularly struck by the contrast of the vastness of the land and its absolute lack of greenery, which “gave off negative vibes all around”.

“Even though the campus abounds with flowers, not a single one is plucked by any student,” he says.