Students of XLRI Jamshedpur embark on �Closer to Nature� drive

Jamshedpur, June 25: Amidst the ongoing lockdown due to the spread of COVID-19, the students of XLRI have come up with a novel initiative to connect to the Nature.

Social Initiatives Group for Managerial Assistance(SIGMA-oikos), a student run body of XLRI SIGMA-oikos at XLRI, Jamshedpur on Thursday launched a tree plantation initiative �Closer to Nature Together�.

Not letting COVID-19 dampen the spirits of the students, the initiative will be celebrated across the country during the months of June and July 2020. This initiative urges students to plant a seed or sapling of their choice whilst providing it care and space to grow. It will be augmented by sharing this journey with the XLRI community.

The initiative was launched today by 70-year old Padma Shri awardee Ramaiah Daripalli, who has planted over 10M trees and is popularly known as Chettu (Tree) Ramaiah’ and ‘Vanajeevi (Forester) Ramaiah’.

�Through this initiative, XLRI not only continues its noble mission of contributing to the environment but also bring the community closer to nature-together,� said an official.

Kalyani Deshmukh, executive member, SIGMA-oikos, said : � Students of XLRI will plant a sapling and spread message of protecting environment as part of the initiative. Although social distancing has helped us fight the ongoing battle with COVID-19, most of us are separated from our friends, partners and families. In these uncertain and challenging times, all of us are longing for friendships, care and compassion. While we may have jumped on to the �Zoom� bandwagon, there is still ample opportunity to create and nurture this relationship in real life in perfect synergy with nature � by planting a tree and watching it grow in the real world.�

The Social Initiatives Group for Managerial Assistance(SIGMA-oikos) is a student run body of XLRI that focuses on transformation and change in the social sector by contributing to the community and impoverished sections of the society under the able guidance of Prof. Madhukar Shukla.