Vana Mahotsava Photography Contest
- from 01 July 2025 till 10 July, 2025 -
It's time to celebrate Vana Mahotsava!
Schools all over India will celebrate Vana Mahotsava by planting tree saplings.
It's an excellent way to help nature.
But have you observed one thing?
Before planting the sapling, the weeds growing there, mostly herbs, are often cleared away.
When one is destroyed, another is taken care of! Is that fair?
Herbs may seem small and unimportant, but they are nature’s helpers.
- They grow quickly on bare soil, stopping it from being washed away.
- They save the topsoil, water, and nutrients.
- They also make the soil healthy for other plants to grow.
- Some weeds are edible, and others have medicinal value.
- Herbs are used in Ayurveda and herbalism.
- They also provide homes for insects and birds.
- Over 5,000 types of insects and birds depend on herbs to survive.
- Herbs help maintain the Earth's temperature making it suitable for many small insects to survive.
- Some insects even require a particular type of herb for their survival!
If herbs disappear, many animals and insects will vanish too.
Nature is like a big family where every plant, big or small, plays a role.
On this Vana Mahotsava, while planting saplings of trees, let's also explore the world of smaller plants, classified as herbs, normally treated as weeds.
They are also essential in keeping our Earth green and alive!
Let's Care for All Plants!
Here is an interesting contest for you. Participate and be part of the Vana Mahotsava Celebrations.
Here is one sample.
Name: Common Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta)
Location: Changanacherry, Kottayam, Kerala
Size: 10cm height
Interesting fact:
- Small yellow flower with 5 petals.
- Compound leaf with 3 leaflets.
- Each leaflet is "heart-shaped".
- Has many medicinal values.
- It is used in salads, mainly because of its "heart shape".
Winners will be announced on 21st July 2025, around 4.00 p.m.
Want to know more about Vana Mahotsava?
Here are a few interesting ones to read.
RULES...
Who can participate?
- The Contest is open to all school children studying in any class up to 12, within India.
What is to be photographed?
- Any small herb near your place.
- Look for smaller ones that grow not more than 12 inches in height.
What should not be photographed?
- Big trees, shrubs, garden plants, decorative plants and water plants.
Disqualification
- If more than one participant sends a photograph of the same variety of the plant, then they won’t be selected.
Precautions to be taken.
- Taking photographs from dangerous locations has to be avoided.
- Always take an adult's help to locate or click the photographs.
Prizes will be given to:
- Those who send the photograph of any unique herb.
- If more than 1,000 participants send such photographs, then there will be a Random selection of winners.
The Purpose of the Contest
- To make the children identify herbs, treated and ignored as weeds, in their surroundings.
- To create awareness about the importance of herbs in the environment.
- To develop the habit of creative browsing and interest in research.
- In the process, they will learn something about their surroundings, environment, and ecology.
- A small step towards Creative Education which Shri K M Munshi, founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, had visualised.
- You never know... maybe one of the herbs identified by the students may turn out to be a rare one, believed to have been extinct long ago.
For any clarification,
email: updates.bhavans@gmail.com
WhatsApp: 9324650285
