Ritwik Joshi, B. Com (Hons) Student At JKBS Shares His Learning From The Eye-Opening Field Trip To The Botanical Park

It was an exciting opportunity for us students of B. Com (Hons) at JKBS to visit the Tau Devi Lal Botanical Park. It was a welcome change to get away from the regular routine of our lives and get close to natural surroundings. The Botanical Park in Sector 35 near Badshahapur was the perfect place to soak in the gems of Mother Nature that we are surrounded by.

Unfortunately we tend to get so caught up in our day to day lives that we fail to appreciate and tend to the flora, which is an integral part of our ecosystem. This trip was organized as a part of a project to remind us of the beauty of different types of plants and trees. We were also made aware of the medicinal properties of several of them that are found in specific areas.

For example, we realized that Cassia Fistula (Amaltash) is used to offer relief from constipation and joint pain while Hibiscus Rosa Sinesis (Gudhal) enhances memory, is a remedy for cough, used for dying hair and as fragrance for incense sticks. Ficius Infectoria (Pilkhan) is also an excellent cure for cough and cold.

Siras, Rauwolfia Serpentina (Sarpgandha) and Gmelina Arborea (Kaashmri) were some of the other plants amongst many that we saw here, which had medicinal benefits. These plants have Ayurvedic properties and are gifts from Mother Nature to us. In fact, trees like Sadabahar can help in curing cancer.

Given the importance and benefits of the trees and plants around us, we became aware that they need to be protected and conserved. Pollution from the cities and rivers is destroying natural surroundings, and these trees with medicinal properties along with it. In that sense we are being our own enemies, destroying what natural gifts we have.

“What we give to Nature, it will give back to us.” That was the all important learning from the trip, which was an eye opening experience for all of us. We came back aware of the impact our lives have on Nature and our responsibility to protect it. It’s time for us to take an oath to protect the trees from the destruction caused by pollution.