Anavi is an India-based community network founded and operated by Anglo-Eastern seafarer spouses and volunteers, with support from the group. Anavi assists schools, orphanages and homes for the elderly, and coordinates local food donations, blood drives, disaster relief efforts, and now also tree plantings.
In fact, tree planting has been an initiative explored by Anavi several times in the past few years, with support from Anglo-Eastern Mumbai. Unfortunately, finding a suitable site and the survival rate of saplings has not always turned out as hoped, yet that has not stopped Anavi from trying. This year, after careful research, a different area and green group was selected for the tree planting planned in September.
The Aarey reserved forest, located to the north of central Mumbai, is a unique green area with a delicate ecosystem that boasts a rich biodiversity and more than 400,000 trees. The forest serves as a much-needed lung for the Mumbai metropolitan area, so it is necessary to treat it with the proper care and respect it deserves, and needs, to preserve its integrity.
Mindful of this, Anavi approached a reputable local green group with a decade’s worth of knowledge and experience in the Aarey reserved forest. For a greater chance of survival, native trees aged several years were selected for the project and a site carefully chosen, with buy-in from local residents to support and protect the trees.
The tree planting itself took place on September 23rd and saw several managers and directors from the Mumbai office join the team of Anavi volunteers in the effort, notably Anil Rai, Deepak Gupta, Gulraj Chhugani, Manish Saxena, Rohann Martin, Sameer Sablok and Vineet Gupta.
Many thanks to everyone who rolled up their sleeves and pitched in on the day, to Anavi for leading the project, and to Anglo-Eastern Mumbai for supporting the initiative. May the trees take root, flourish, and grow for many years and decades to come!