GROW TREES

We at KSLF believe that transformational change cannot happen unless each individual does their bit. We hope the last 2 years have woken the world to the urgency of putting climate at the top of the agenda. We all want a safer future for our children.

In keeping with Khushwant Singh’s concerns for a green planet and his abiding interest in nature, grow-trees.com have planted a tree for each of the speakers at our festivals. We have been doing this since inception, 10 years ago, in partnership with grow-trees.com.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children, says a wise American proverb. We hope we can leave a better world for them.

‘Trees for Hanguls’ is an effort to preserve the natural habitat of the critically endangered Hangul, (Red Deer), a species indigenous to Kashmir.

The Hangul dwindling population has only recently seen a marginal rise owing to the #DachigamNationalPark strict restrictions put in place to ‘rewild’ and create conditions for nature to thrive. The park remains closed to visitors. Creating this peaceful environment has been vital to the survival of the extremely shy and exceedingly poor at reproducing Hangul.

Planting trees for speakers at each festival is central to KSLF’s ethos of supporting ecosystems and it’s commitment to ecology.

What a lovely and thoughtful gesture. I have never been more ideologically pleased to be part of a festival
Faiza Sultan Khan
Author, UK
Thank you. This brings back many memories. My father's first posting (1945) was in Sealdah with the West Bengal Railways. I was born in Narayanganj (which finds much mention in Nirad Chaudhuri's Autobiography of an Unknown Indian). I used to hear from my mother that when the railway saloon was parked in the siding at Khulna, she heard the tigers all night. I could never have imagined I would be responsible for a tree in the Sunderbans.
Anjum Altaf
Author, Pakistan
I love the idea of having a tree planted in India; i find it very moving, and I am so grateful to you for doing this for me.
Wendy Doniger
This is such a beautiful idea! Thank you so much for including me in this project.
Priya Atwal
Author, UK
I found this very moving when I opened the email. Thank you so much for my tree. All best wishes for a wonderful festival
David Loyn
Author, UK
Wonderful--and I'm so thrilled to be part of such a beautiful tradition! Thank you, Niloufer and Rahul. With all warm wishes,
Pico (Iyer)
USA & Japan
I am delighted to have a tree planted on my behalf, and that too in Sikkim. This is particularly special for me, as I lived for a few years in Sikkim as a child. Looking forward to the festival.
Harsh (Mander)
what a lovely project and memory. My first career was as a forester in Canada, a job that I worked at for 18 years. I have personally planted over 250,000 trees - but this is the first tree I've been involved in planting in the Himalayas so this is wonderful. Thank you. (He walked the entire breadth of the Himalayas) ps. Do you know what species it is
Jono Linneen
Author, Australia
What a wonderful tradition! Thank you very much indeed 🙂
Ankita Mukherjee
NDTV, India

Vikram Seth Acrostic