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Vrikshabandhan AbhiyanDehradun, Uttarakhand
Painting of a white tree with a canopy of green, blue and gold leaves, and a red raksha sutra knotted round its trunkPainting of a white tree with a canopy of green, blue and gold leaves, and a red raksha sutra knotted round its trunk

A thread tied to a treeपेड़ से बँधा एक धागा

Since 2005 we have planted fruit and shade trees across Uttarakhand, tied a thread round each one, and gone back to water them.

Read the storiesTie a thread with us

Latest storiesताज़ा कहानियाँ

  1. An award morning for the ones who went back to water

    उनके नाम एक सुबह, जो पानी देने लौटते रहे

  2. The pain of the Himalayas is hidden in the tragedy of Silkyara

    सिल्क्यारा की त्रासदी में छिपी है हिमालय की पीड़ा

  3. Why is the historic movement of Shriyantra Island forgotten?

    श्रीयंत्र टापू का ऐतिहासिक आंदोलन क्यों भुला दिया गया?

All stories

A tree counts when it is still alive three monsoons later.पेड़ तब गिना जाता है जब वह तीन मानसून बाद भी जीवित हो।

That is the whole method. Plant a native tree, tie a thread round it, come back to water it, and count only what survives.

Tie a thread with us
Manoj Dhyani, in white, kneeling to plant a sapling in freshly dug soil

The line we stand inजिस परंपरा में हम खड़े हैं

Why a thread, why a tree

  1. 363 Bishnois

    Khejarli, Rajasthan

    Died embracing khejri trees to stop a royal felling. India's Forest Martyrs Day is dated to it.

  2. Chipko

    Chamoli, Uttarakhand

    Gaura Devi and the women of Reni held the trees. A fifteen-year Himalayan logging ban followed.

  3. Raksha Sutra Andolan

    Tehri, Uttarakhand

    Villagers tied sacred thread on 2,500 trees marked for the axe. The trees stood.

  4. Vrikshabandhan Abhiyan

    Dehradun

    Registered, and working since then on the care of the Himalaya and the trees people vow to keep.

Latest storiesताज़ा कहानियाँ

All stories
  1. Dehradun

    An award morning for the ones who went back to water

    उनके नाम एक सुबह, जो पानी देने लौटते रहे

    On 27 September at 8 in the morning, the Abhiyan honours the volunteers of this year's plantation drive. The award goes to the ones whose trees are still standing three monsoons on.

    Campaign, Award ceremony

    Cover art
  2. Dehradun, World Mountain Day

    The pain of the Himalayas is hidden in the tragedy of Silkyara

    सिल्क्यारा की त्रासदी में छिपी है हिमालय की पीड़ा

    An open letter to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand after 41 workers walked out of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel.

    Open letter, Himalaya

  3. Shriyantra Island, Srinagar Garhwal

    Why is the historic movement of Shriyantra Island forgotten?

    श्रीयंत्र टापू का ऐतिहासिक आंदोलन क्यों भुला दिया गया?

    10 November is Shriyantra Island Day in the Uttarakhand statehood movement. The 36-day fast, the police action of 1995, and the two agitators found in the Alaknanda.

    Statehood movement, Memory

The founderसंस्थापक

Manoj Dhyani, white-haired and in white, seated in front of a railing hung with red chunris in a deodar forest

Sainik Shiromani

Manoj Dhyani

Mukund Krishna Das

Sainik Shiromani Manoj Dhyani has spoken for the Himalaya for three decades, from the statehood movement of the 1990s to open letters to the Chief Minister.

About the founder

Tie a thread with usहमारे साथ धागा बाँधें

  1. Adopt a tree

    Plant a native fruit or shade tree, such as mahua, neem, banyan or peepal. Tie a cotton thread round it and send us a photo every monsoon for three years. We keep the record.

  2. Host an event

    Schools, mohallas, units and offices. We bring the threads, the pledge and the saplings for Raksha Bandhan, Harela or Van Mahotsav week.

  3. Support the work

    Saplings, transport to the villages, and the volunteers who go back to water. Ask us for the account details. We publish what we spend.

See how to help