Chinmaya Vidyalaya launches green drive to commemorate 75 years of Chinmaya Mission

Dignitaries at the launch of Chinmaya Amritavanam. Staff and students of Chinmaya Vidyalaya at Taylor’s Road in Kilpauk have begun to put their green thumbs to work. Recently, the school launched “Chinmaya Amritavanam”, an ambitious initiative to plant and nurture 75,000 trees to commemorate 75 years of the Chinmaya Mission, during the school’s 59th Annual Day celebrations. This would mean every activity around planting and nurturing these saplings will involve students across classes.Built around the theme “75 Years, 75,000 Trees, One Living Legacy,” the initiative envisages planting 1,000 trees for every year of Chinmaya Mission’s journey, creating a lasting green legacy while engaging students and the wider community in environmental stewardship, says a press note.The school has chalked out a plan to fulfil this mission of increasing the green cover in and around the city.Geetha Ganesh, principal, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, says the school will be responsible for taking care of the plants for the next five years, and they are implementing the project in a phased manner involving other institutions as well.“There are eight other sister schools of Chinmaya Vidyalaya in the city who will also be part of this initiative, they will be taking saplings and growing them on their campus. Likewise, our neighbouring schools Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyasharm and Maharishi Vidya Mandir in Chetpet have also agreed to be part of the green drive,” says Geetha.The plants are geo-tagged, which means the GPS coordinates and species details will be available. Among activities that the school is planning include a visit to Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited where students would initiate the drive.The eventChinmaya Amritavanam was formally inaugurated by V. Karunapriya, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Managing Director, TAFCORN.Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) will receive 5,000 saplings for Green Belt Development at Amullavoyal, Manali. Sri Sriram Vishwanathan, Chief General Manager (HSE), CPCL, received a sapling on behalf of CPCL, marking the first major commitment towards the 75,000-tree goal.The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is also partnering with Chinmaya Vidyalaya in taking the initiative forward.B. Chandra Mohan, IAS; Leena Nair, IAS (Retd.), Chairperson, Chinmaya Vidyalayas, Chennai; O. V. Nambiar, Zonal Director, Chinmaya Vidyalayas, Chennai; Sri Jaishankar Unnithan, Honorary Correspondent were among the special guests at the event. Published - September 26, 2026 10:49 pm IST