3 days ago
Volunteers' hard work bears fruits, literally, on trees at Gangashetty Lake in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: In the heart of the bustling tech corridor, a few determined volunteers have transformed a lake into a bird's haven, driven by their simple joy of nature's winged wonders.
The driving force behind this transformation of Gangashetty Lake in KR Pura is Balaji Ragotham, a lake volunteer, and his friends, who observed that fruit-bearing trees had become rare in the city compared to three decades ago. Over the past few years, he and a handful of dedicated volunteers planted over 1,000 saplings of varieties of fruit-bearing trees around the lake. Today, nearly 500 of these trees have matured, offering their fruits not only to the community, but to birds that call the lake home.
Guava and custard apple trees are already heavy with fruits, providing a feast for the flocks that flutter in and out.
But this transformation was no easy task. With no steady funding and scorching summers, these volunteers took on the challenge of keeping young trees alive. Buying tanker water wasn't an option, so they began what they fondly call "Can Bagiratha," hauling water from their homes in cans and buckets.
Balaji told TOI, "Times like these are the happiest for us … our hard work is seen through the fruits these trees are bearing.
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We fought a lot to get Gangashetty Lake restored and rejuvenated. There were days when we carried water from our houses in cans and buckets to protect the saplings. These saplings are like our babies." Many volunteers are daily walkers at the lake, they regularly water saplings and watch over them.
Another volunteer, M Muniraju, recounted the early struggle: "We had no water during summers. Around 30 of us would bring water in cans from home.
Some days, we even fetched lake water in buckets. But now, we've set up a pump to draw lake water when needed. Watching these trees grow and bear fruit brings joy that words can't express."
Protecting the tender saplings from cattle and enthusiastic humans became part of their daily vigil. Mango trees, for instance, struggled to survive when walkers plucked leaves for festive rituals. But the volunteers didn't give up: they kept watch, fenced where they could, and always nurtured the plants back to health.
Today, Gangashetty Lake is home to trees like custard apple, black plum, almond, sapota and guava, where birds find sustenance and people find joy.
