Inspired by WhatsApp forward, government school students plant trees on April Fools' Day

You must have surely come across WhatsApp messages saying 'throw the fruit seeds on highway sides when you are travelling outstation', 'plant more trees to reduce summer heat', 'drink plenty of water' and so on. 

Such messages have, however, inspired a group of former students of a government school in Alanganallur to plant nearly 25 trees and varieties of saplings in Alanganallur on Sunday.

A WhatsApp message, 'Instead of making April Fool on April 1, make it April Cool by planting trees', has been circulating on social media for the past few days. One such message caught the attention of one Pon Kumar, coordinator of Alanganallur Government Boys School Alumni Association, who shared it among his school friends and sought their support to implement the idea. 

Nearly 45 members, including the alumni, joined hands to plant trees and saplings in their area in a bid to tackle the heat. 

"We selected different kinds of indigenous trees such as Punnai tree, Pungai tree and Vaagai trees and planted them in 25 spots in our village. The trees selected by us were already five feet tall and will mature in a few months," said Pon Kumar.  

The team has also constructed a tall fence around the trees to protect them from cattle. "Over `10,000 has been spent for the project. In addition to financial support, many contributed in other forms like supplying refreshments, essential tools and excavators," he added.

This apart, the alumni also planted 10 varieties of ornamental plant saplings at the local police station.