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NT Bureau
Chennai, Sept 21:

        Isha Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of Isha Yoga, will be launching its project 'Green Hands' under which 2.5 crore saplings will be planted throughout Tamilnadu by the end of this year.

K Sekar, project co-ordinator, Isha Gramotsavam, briefing the press in Chennai on Wednesday.

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would be launching the initiative by planting a sapling during the Isha Gramotsavam to be held at Anna University grounds on 23 September.         Announcing this at a press meet here on Wednesday, K Sekar, project co-ordinator, said the initiative was to create mass awareness among the people, especially children.         He said school children would be made to take part in the programme and plans were drawn up to plant over 45 lakh saplings on the school premises and in corporate houses during a period of three months starting from October to December.         He said that most of the saplings would be planted on the private land to encourage planting and to create awareness. About Isha Gramotsavam, he said it was a unique celebration to share the joy and transformation created in the rural lives. It is a part of the ' Action for Rural Rejuvenation Project,' embarked by the organisation. The project concentrates on initiatives to revitalise the human spirit and restore the fundamental kinship nature of village society, he added.

        He said the event was held for the first time in Chennai and would feature a rural olympics with over 40 games and sports that have been a part of the culture of rural Tamilnadu.

        'Over 600 sports teams were formed from over 3,200 villages in Tamilnadu and Karnataka during the project and they participated in the various games at the village level,' he said and added that the final matches of the rural olympics would be played at Isha Gramotsavam.

        The one-day programme would be attract participants from 3,200 villages and thousands from the city and is expected to draw a crowd of five lakh people.

        He said the Gramotsavam was earlier conducted in Coimbatore and Salem , which had drawn two lakh people. A similar event would also be held in Punjab, he added.

        On other activities he said the event would also have food festival featuring over 400 exquisite rural cuisines from 40 places in Tamilnadu. Member of Parliament Kanimozhi and former Director of Central Bureau of Investigation and National Human Rights Commission D R Karthikeyan would also be present on the occasion.