Ashoka Trust For Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), in partnership with District Science Centre, presented the Bell Pins ATREE conservation leadership award to a farmer in Tirunelveli on Saturday.

The award was instituted in 2016 in memory of Chelladurai, founder of Bell group, to honour individuals or organisations committed to environmental conservation in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tenkasi districts.

P. Jawahar, a farmer from Kalakkad, bagged this year’s award for environmental conservation. The award was presented to him by Collector K.P. Karthikeyan.

Mr. Jawahar’s work primarily focused on reviving temple gardens (nandavanam) in Kalakkad and nearby regions. Traditionally, the temple gardens were maintained with native plants and trees, with each temple having its own sacred tree (Thala maram) in the garden. However, many temples shifted towards planting easily maintainable and economically efficient species such as coconut and teak.

In 2017, Mr. Jawahar embarked on a mission to restore the abandoned temple garden of Sathya Vageeswarar temple in Kalakkad by planting 45 native species, drawing inspiration from Thevaram hymns and Tamil scripture Thirumurai.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Jawahar said he had always been intrigued by siddha medicine, which eventually led him to learn more about native plant species. He added that he wanted to undertake more such initiatives across the district in future.

The event also featured a public lecture titled “Trees of the soil” by Madurai-based writer Karthikeyan Paarkavidhai.

Mari Lenin, Education Officer, District Science Centre, Gunasingh Chelladurai, Director of Bell pins, M. Mathivanan, ATREE coordinator and other officials were present at the event.

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