Trees feel and bleed, show Indian activists in Dubai

Dubai - The project has also been introduced at the Indian Association Sharjah and the Indian School Sharjah.

An environment project titled the Heal Project  has made its way to Dubai for the very first time. As part of the project, activists from India visited a Dubai school where they put bandages on trees and dabbed red paint on them to make it appear like a wound on the tree to stir human emotions towards environment and create awareness through art, especially in the minds of young students.
Students from Grade 1-11 of Our Own High School (OOHS) Al Warqa, who are part of the school's environment team along with a few teachers, bandaged four trees around the school. The trees were picked based on their prime location and visibility factor so that more students could see the bandaged trees and feel the need to protect them.
Amita Parekh, who executed the project in Indore along with Dubai resident Payal Jain, brought the Heal Project to Dubai and implemented it at the school.
"During the research work for the project, we noticed that people would understand the concept of pain better by seeing a wound and therefore the bandages symbolises healing of the pain mother nature feels when we take her for granted," said Parekh.
"We all study about environment but when these children see these trees with bandage, they will connect more with the environment. So we are using artistic impression to make them realise the importance  of taking care of the environment. Global warming is one of the reasons why we have got this project in the Gulf," Parekh added.
OOHS principal Sanjeev Jolly said: "The Heal Project at our school was aimed at sensitising students towards the need to protect the environment. We wanted to inculcate the value of empathy through this programme so that we understand the pain the trees undergo on cutting them." School headmistress Shanta Viswanathan said: "Our school is very passionate about promoting environmental awareness among our students and we have also earned a green flag which is an international award for sustainable practices. We are proud to be the first school to host the project and it is a very symbolic activity." 
The project has also been introduced at the Indian Association Sharjah and the Indian School Sharjah.
Dravya Sharma, a Grade 6 student, said: "Today I really felt sad as I could feel the pain of these trees. At the same time, I felt we did something good to these trees and in a way brought them back to life."
saman@khaleejtimes.com  

• Dubai