Hundreds of trees planted to mark Guru Nanak anniversary
MORE th an 550 trees and shrubs have been planted throughout Coventry’s parks and green spaces, to commemorate the 550th anniversary of the birth of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Lord Mayor of Coventry, Linda Bigham and Jon Davis, Dynamic City Senior Producer Coventry City of Culture 2021 were on hand, along with Lady Godiva, Pru Porretta and Sarah Pearson from the Woodland Trust to plant commemorative statement trees donated by the community.
Jon Davis and Palvinder Singh Chana, Chairman, Sikh Union, unveiled a special plaque to a statement tree specifically dedicated to Coventry being chosen as the third UK City of Culture 2021.
Hundreds of pupils from Longford Park, Grange Hurst and Joseph Cash Primary Schools planted saplings, through a collaboration with a focus on encouraging young people to plant more trees to combat the effects of climate change.
Palvinder Singh Chana, Chairman, Sikh Union Coventry said: “Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first embodiment of Divine Light in the Sikh religion, laid the foundation for our sacred vision for the environment stated: ‘Air is our Guru, water is our father, the earth is our mother. They give us life, we sleep in their laps night and day, in which the entire world plays.’
“We honour this wisdom by believing that all humans have an intrinsic sensitivity to the natural world, and that a sustainable, more just society is possible, where water, air, land, forests, and biodiversity remain vibrant, living systems for our generation and future generations.”
Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of Coventry City of Culture Trust said: “Working with Coventry’s active citizens and communities is a core part of our plans for our year as UK City of Culture in 2021, and the impact that this project continues to have highlights the power of collaborative action across this city.
“Coventry City of Culture Trust is delighted to have a tree planted in our honour. We’re committed to creating projects in 2021 that celebrate and improve the city’s biodiversity and offer residents opportunities to get outside and reconnect with our beautiful green spaces and wild life.
“We plan to be the most sustainable year of culture and offset our carbon footprint wherever possible. We look forward to continuing to work with the Sikh community in the run up to, during, and after 2021.”
Linda Bigahm, Lord Mayor of Coventry says: “The growing of a woodland in Longford Park, began when our family noticed a faded plaque within some trees, with the words, “Recognise all the human race as one” Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
“We went on to discover that 300 trees had been planted in 1999 by Sikh staff at Marconi as a contribution to the Millennium Forest
“From these humble beginnings, a unique partnership has developed between the Friends of Longford Park, the Sikh Union, local school children, and they City Council’s Park Wardens.
“The last few years has seen the planting of a community orchard and 1500 new trees with under planting. This will now be added to by another 550 trees this year to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.”
The initiative is part of a wider global effort by Eco-Sikh based in Washington, USA to plant more than a million trees around the world.