Van Mahotsav 2022
Generally, Van Mahotsav is celebrated on the 28th of July every year but this year it was postponed by one week to 6th August, 2022, to include the students of various batches that arrived at the campus to start their new semester and be part of this age-old ritual. In today’s concrete world, Van Mahotsav brought together a variety of people ranging from the NU staff and students to the local communities near the Aravalli range to witness the plantation of trees and improve the flora of the surroundings.
Like every year, it was delightful to watch students of various schools from around Neemrana right from Grade 1 to 12, participate enthusiastically in the happenings of the events around them. Some of those students had brought their own saplings while NU had provided saplings for plantation to those who had not brought any of their own.
The event was formally inaugurated by lamp lighting by Maj Gen. A.K Singh, Chief Operations Officer, and Dean of Student Affairs, accompanied by Mr. R S Pawar, Chairman, and Co-Founder of NIIT University, and Mr. V K Thadani, Co-Founder of NIIT University, in the presence of NIIT University’s Leadership, staff, and students along with people from the local community. It was followed by planting a tree “VAN-2022” symbolically through the hands of all, for this noble cause. This tree stood alongside other such trees like “VAN-2021” and “VAN-2020” marking the progress of this initiative every year.
This year’s cultural event was a ‘Kavi Sammelan’ where students from the Kavishaala, the poetry club of NIIT University, and artists from around Rajasthan came together to recite their works of art to entertain their audience. Along with the cultural events, a simultaneous plantation of trees was undertaken by school students visiting NIIT University and NIIT University’s Staff help. These enthusiastic students were allowed to ask various questions regarding the plantation which were clarified by the gardeners helping with the plantation process.
After the cultural events, a community lunch was organized by NU for everyone, in which the students of NU proactively participated in serving food to everyone. Students of NU were also delighted to have food along with the local community in the same way. The food was served on leaf plates in a traditionally seated ‘Daawat’ style.
Along with the events, plantation, and community lunch, NU also organized a donation drive to help and support the needy or underprivileged. Students of the university happily distributed the donated clothes among the needy present there.
All the participants felt reinvigorated watching the plantation take place as well as witnessing the progress of this movement from its inaugural year, 2009 when everyone thoroughly enjoyed and participated in all the activities and events that were held. To see children, elders, and people of various ages come together in joy and happiness and join in for a noble cause was a spectacle worth watching.