BHUBANESWAR: Amruta Vatika’s Kitchen Garden Association conducted a workshop on urban gardening at Sahid nagar here Tuesday. The association had invited delegates of 11 countries from the International School of Zug and Luzern.
Secretary of the core committee Maheswar Khillar said, “We are conducting this two hour workshop as per the request of the Swiss school. The main purpose of this workshop is to exhibit how to go about urban gardening using bio waste. In Bhubaneswar we use pebbles, cow dung, cow urine, wood ash, dry leaves, cow peet, straws and organic soil to enrich the health of the soil for planting various saplings.”
Interacting with Orissa Post Sedal, a participant, said, “I wish to learn how to practise urban gardening with the right use of soil. I am also learning new techniques on how to use discarded plastic bottles to plant saplings. This workshop is proving to be very informative.”
Another participant Norma Tony said, “I had a wrong notion that only good pesticides and costly gardening procedures could help in urban gardening. This workshop has changed my mind set about gardening completely. I am deeply influenced by the idea of treating soil in the right way to practise sustainable gardening. We do miss such workshops in our country. It’s a great opportunity for us to learn gardening from professors of OUAT as well as Maheswar Khillar.”
Rebbeca Ashley, a student from Hungary, felt that India is one of the best eco-friendly countries and Bhubaneswar is one of the cleanest cities in the whole world. Various saplings as well as handbooks of urban gardening were also gifted to the delegates.
Ekadasi Nandi, a retired Professor of OUAT, demonstrated the life span of a sapling through a video presentation and narrated the importance of living in a good environment. He also showcased how to grow one’s own food through urban gardening. Around 100 individuals participated in the workshop. The programme was also supported by Jeevan Rekha Parishad.