Mangalore : A ten – year old, school going girl, Anwitha, celebrated her birthday at the city’s Patrika Bhawan, by planting a fruit – yielding tree today.

This nature – loving young girl had already planted 300 vegetable – yielding plants and creepers in 5 years, and distributed the vegetables among her neighbours in city. She also emulated a famous old woman of Karnataka Thimmakka by planting 150 saplings from Lady Hill to Urwa stores, in 2005-06. She also distributed 120 saplings to others a day before celebrating her 10th birthday in Press Club.

If plants / saplings are distributed freely among the children, only then they get interested in gardening. Vana Mahotsava is not so important as taking care of the plants so raised, she said.

Her father Nagaraja Suvarna goes one step further and declares that Vana Mahotsava should not degenerate into (Ona) dry planting, to the amusement of newsmen in the gathering. Press Club chief Harsha and elder members of Anwitha family were present in the press meet held today.