Tarumitra

Tarumitra is a nationwide students' organization to promote ecological sensitivity in India. It has been campaigning for sensitizing various sections of society on ecological issues. It was started in 1988 by students in Patna, India. U.N has conferred a Special Consultative Status to Tarumitra from 2005. It has over 2,00,000 members in over 1000 high schools and colleges. Tarumitra has also had several full-time volunteers from abroad.Taru Mitra has also set up a bio-reserve in Patna in a plot of land given to them by the Patna Jesuits. It has a rare collection of over 400 vanishing trees and plants of North India. The Centre has a large genetic nursery, a Tissue Culture lab and facilities to accommodate 50-100 students for nature related camps.HistoryTarumitra, meaning "Friends of Trees" in Hindi and Sanskrit, is a student movement to protect and promote a healthy environment on Earth. It was the effort of Jesuit Fr. Robert Athickal from St. Xavier's School, Patna and students from few schools under the leadership of Anindo Banerjee, a class IX student from Loyola High School, Patna, that the movement came into existence in 1988. In April 1989, four high school students from Loyola High School, Anindo Banerjee, Vijay Mathur, Sanjay Pandey and Jayant Chatterjee, set out on a cycle rally in North India from Patna to New Delhi to promote awareness about the environment and the movement. They met with the then vice president of India, Shankar Dayal Sharma, to present their findings. While returning, at Agra, Jayant fell seriously ill and despite attempt, could not be saved. His demise shocked the movement; however, his sacrifice for the environment made his companions to work and promote the movement with great zeal. Today, Jayant's sacrifice is one of the cornerstone of Tarumitra's foundation history, which is still remembered the same way as 24 years ago.