Bohra community goes green for leader’s 100th birthday

The Dawoodi Bohra community in Pune has decided to celebrate the 100th birthday of their spiritual leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin on March 25, in a unique way. 

Apart from the general festivities, the community has decided to distribute 10,000 saplings in the city. The community members have already distributed 1,500 saplings.  Interestingly, the ‘Go Green’ idea was mooted by the spiritual leader of the community himself. 

“The usual birthday celebration every year is a 40-50 day affair for the community. It includes medical camps and other charitable activities. This year, while we were discussing our plans with the Syedna, he suggested we do something for the environment. With Pune becoming a concrete jungle, it was very apt on the part of the Syedna to suggest this initiative,” said Abdeali Nooruddin, head of the community in Pune. 

As per the Syedna’s instructions, the community has chalked out a series of programmes across Pune and its surrounding areas aiming to distribute 10,000 saplings amongst the community members. 

As part of the green drive, 1,000 saplings were distributed at a function at Husseinbaugh Community Hall in Camp on Thursday, the second in the series. 

The first programme of the series was held at MG Road a few days ago and about 100 palm trees were planted along the road. 

Other programmes have been planned in Kondhwa, Salunke Vihar and other areas of the city. 

“We are a 16,000-strong community and by the end of March, 10,000 saplings will be distributed in Pune. Although the number might sound tame, we believe that it’s the small drops, which make the ocean,” he asserted.