U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty ( Season 3)-Janet Yegneswaran.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 22 April as International Mother Earth Day through a resolution adopted in 2009. The Day recognizes the Earth and its ecosystems as humanity's common home and the need to protect her to enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change, and stop the collapse of biodiversity.

Climate Change,  man-made changes to nature as well as crimes that disrupt biodiversity, such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade, can accelerate the speed of destruction of the planet.

Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action - a need to shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.Protecting the planet is everyone's responsibility.

On the eve of International Mother Earth Day celebrated tomorrow, 22nd April, my guest on U n’ I  with Rashmi Shetty is a self taught landscape artist Janet Yegneswaran. Her mission is to plant trees & sustain the green cover in Bengaluru.  Positive & with an amazing attitude , this 74 year old, clearly shows age is just a number if passion & purpose are equally balanced.

Janet, a landscape designer  started making gardens for neighbours and then commercially for  factories, educational institutions &  government establishments. She landscaped the huge gardens for Kanteerava Stadium for National Games in 1997 and maintained the Stadium Gardens for 5 years. 

In memory of her husband she started  a Trust to plant trees – Rajanet Yegneswaran Charitable Trust. It was in 2005 tree cutting started in Bangalore.  While friends implored her  to join Dharna against tree cutting, she refused. She found the dharna approach negative &  to be positive she decided to plant trees and nurture them instead of mourning. Till date  they have  planted 97,000 trees. The wide network of volunteers in Bangalore is the reason Reforest India project got its due from support from media & their work became recognised.

 

Listen in  as Janet shares her journey as an eco warrior who has found her purpose & her joy!