Today, The Pioneer brings to you a remarkable couple from Hyderabad, who have set out on a journey to challenge the conventional wedding gift culture, and transform the way we celebrate love while protecting our planet.
Tejal Sinha
Apart from all the glamour, food, and rituals, weddings are also about gifts. Wedding gifts are given as a token of appreciation and a gesture of one’s best wishes to the newlyweds. Gift-giving in itself is a practical way to show appreciation for the bride and groom.
But looking at the other side of the coin, weddings often leave a significant environmental impact, with pollution and waste accumulation being common culprits. And so, rather than accepting traditional gifts from their loved ones, we bring to you this Hyderabadi couple Sasank and Himabindh, who have chosen a unique path by dedicating trees to the environment. They firmly believe that trees not only create lasting memories but also contribute to the greater good, bringing happiness and a sense of fulfillment.
Sasank and Himabindh are one of the many ecologically sensitive Indian couples who have in recent times steered away from wasteful weddings and celebrated their love with a green sensibility. This year, they celebrated their first wedding anniversary and the gifts they had received from their loved ones, also turned one year older. While planning their wedding in 2022, they decided to replace the norm of materialistic gifts and connected with Grow-Trees.com, an organization that shares their deep-rooted values. They went online and virtually ‘initiated’ a grove where guests could donate real trees as gifts. This way, they intertwined love, joy, and sustainability in their wedding festivities.
Sasank, a successful architect, and Himabindh, a passionate speech therapist, did so to redefine gifting which usually ends in a pile of unused or discarded presents. A grove of trees seemed like a perfect option and with the collaboration they encourage their friends and family to bestow the gift of trees—a symbol of everlasting love and unity.
“Trees are a beautiful symbol of love and togetherness,” begins Sasank. “As the plant grows, so does the bond between the two people. It’s a beautiful way to reflect on the years of our marriage, where we began, and where we’re going. To us, a sapling represents a growing blessing and a metaphor for our union that we will always remember.”
The inspiration behind the initiative of accepting trees as gifts for their wedding came from their deep love and concern for the environment. “We wanted to celebrate our special day in a way that would make a positive impact and contribute towards a greener future. By encouraging our friends and family to gift trees, we aimed to spread awareness about the importance of conservation and create a lasting environmental legacy. We believed that trees were the perfect gift, as they not only provide oxygen, clean air, and habitat for various species but also help combat climate change and ensure the well-being of future generations. We wanted our loved ones to be part of this meaningful cause and have a tangible symbol of their contribution,” enthuses Himabindh.
This vision unfolded beautifully as 116 trees were dedicated in their name and planted in the serene landscapes of Bhagalpur under the aegis of GrowTree.com’s ‘Trees for Ganga’ project. Sasank and Himabindh chose this location deliberately, as it mirrored their commitment to the ecological restoration of India’s biodiversity.
The couple can track the project location online and see the satellite view of the trees dedicated to them using the ‘Locate Tree’ feature of the Grow-Trees website. Indeed, a beautiful way to remember the bond they started with nature. As for Sasank and Himabindh, they hope that more couples will do their bit to address the crisis of deforestation, soil loss, global warming, and extreme weather events and plant some hope and joy on their special day.
Initiating a good cause indeed comes with its share of challenges. One of the main challenges the couple faced was finding the right platform and organization to collaborate with for tree planting. “We wanted to ensure that the trees gifted by our loved ones would be planted in a responsible and impactful manner. It was then that we discovered Grow-Trees.com, an organization dedicated to reforestation and ecological restoration. We were impressed by their transparent and efficient tree-planting model, which allowed individuals to gift trees and track their progress. We reached out to them and discussed our vision for our wedding initiative.”
The collaboration helped the couple create a personalized wedding gift webpage where their friends and family could choose and gift trees, and planted trees in the serene landscapes of Bhagalpur under their ‘Trees for Ganga’ project.
Once the wedding gifts were received, the organisation planted 116 trees on their behalf. “Each tree was geo-tagged, and an E-certificate was provided to us, which we could share with our loved ones as a token of appreciation for their contribution. The E-certificate included details about the location of the planted trees, emphasizing transparency and accountability,” shares Sashank.
With this one-of-a-kind initiative where Sashank and Himabindh were able to fulfill their vision of celebrating our wedding while making a significant positive impact on the environment, we should all too come together and support the cause that would be beneficial for our environment.
