Warangal: Villagers in Medaram, Mulugu district, celebrated the Mokka Modupu festival with great enthusiasm by planting saplings around the Sammakka and Saralamma temple, aiming to protect natural resources and the environment on Tuesday.

The initiative was led by Alam Sudheer, a postgraduate student from Medaram village, who encouraged the villagers to organise the Mokka Modupu Panduga to convey an environmental message to the devotees visiting the Medaram temple, urging them to avoid plastic and protect the environment.

Around 80 youth from neighbouring villages proposed the idea to the temple priests, seeking permission to offer saplings to the tribal goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma. After receiving approval, they raised awareness among the villagers about the need to preserve the area’s natural resources, which had been exploited and polluted over the past four months.

The villagers, along with their families, travelled to the Sammakka and Saralamma temple in bullock carts, using only natural materials and avoiding plastic. They participated in the traditional Vana Bhojanam, where the elders and temple priests planted saplings around the temple before preparing and sharing a meal.

During the event, villagers discussed local issues and agreed to bring them to the attention of the relevant authorities, while also committing to protecting the natural resources from further pollution.

Speaking on the occasion, Siddaboina Boya Rao, president of the Medaram Youth Association, expressed hope that the Mokka Modupu festival would not remain limited to Medaram but serve as an inspiration for neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha. He urged people living in forest regions to take steps to protect their local forests and natural resources.