Manali, Aug. 9 -- Amidst the celebrations of Raksha Bandhan, Manali's Kalpana Thakur once again upheld her unique tradition - tying rakhi to a 17-year-old deodar tree she planted as a child. The gesture, she says, is both personal and environmental, a reminder of the life-saving role trees play in Himachal Pradesh's fragile mountain ecology.
On Saturday, Kalpana arrived at Aleu Bihal after the auspicious time for the ritual, accompanied by her father, national award-winning environmentalist Kishan Thakur. After offering prayers, she tied Rakhi to the towering deodar, which she had planted at the age of three. "This tree is like my brother. I have nurtured it since childhood and will protect it all my life," she said. She also planted a fre...