With over 1 lakh trees, this place in Telangana derives positive energy of trees for meditation

By Prasad Bhosekar

Do trees and meditation have a connection? On the outskirts of Hyderabad city in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana state in India, an interesting connection between trees and meditation is being established by ``heartfulness meditation'' ( a non profit institute ) where a barren drought-prone area is converted into a green cover with more than one lakh trees to derive positive energy of trees for meditation. On the other hand, this place has also given new lease of life to nearly 1000 trees which were felled or being uprooted for various purposes from nearby areas to as far as 700 kms in Tamil Nadu.
 
Psychotherapist Elena Yushina from Moscow in Russia finds absolute peace and tranquility meditating under a tree in Kanha Shanti vanam in ``heartfulness meditation'' institute. Elena is among the thousands who come here from different parts of the country and abroad and who are trying to get benefits of positive energy of trees while meditating under a tree.
 
``Modern people and life have stress. Trees are the best friends, they provide positive energy help in balancing emotional state. I am trying to reconnect inner self, and want to get fresh ideas, a new vision of life." 
 
Kanha Shanti vanam is spread across 1400 acres adjacent to Chegur village in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana state in India. This region is drought-prone but since last four years more than one lakh trees have come up in this area and the groundwater table has increased considerably. the trees have changed the landscape completely and has been attracting meditation enthusiasts in thousands. Kamlesh Patel, who's called ``global guide'' of heartfulness is the brain behind increasing the green cover and helping connect meditation and trees.
 
"Apart from the trees grown here, nearly 1000 trees which were being felled were rescued by this organisation and translocated. The success rate of survival is staggering 80 %," said Kamlesh Patel said. "Relocating a tree is just not an easy task. Uprooting and replanting a grown-up tree has to be done with surgical precision and a lot of care has to be taken in this process which takes months," he added. 

This institute has taken up this mission to rescue and relocate as many trees it can. Horticulturists S Sarvanan is working tirelessly to bring and replant trees and faces a lot of challenges.
  
"Till now there are nearly 1,20,000 trees on this campus. The target is to raise this figure to two lakh trees, including translocating trees from different places which are otherwise felled for different purposes. On the whole, this is a commendable initiative where meditation helps trees and vice-versa," S Sarvanan said.