How are the Ugadi saplings doing?

It hasn’t rained since Ugadi. And this ought to worry Sapgreen, Mysore’s tree-plant company that marked its inaugural by inviting all comers to plant saplings at a Vijayanagar II public park on Ugadi Day. The fledging company has much at stake in their survival.

For Sapgreen guarantees 100 per cent protection; and even replacement, at their cost, of the odd ones that wither due to natural causes. Every sapling the company plants is accounted for through a coding system. The company website has a ‘Find My Tree’ page, detailing all saplings planted till date. That is where you can check the status of any given plant. Survival of the coded saplings, thus, becomes not just moral but the business obligation for the company.

Sapgreen founders – Anil and Ashwin – have blogs that talk of their experiences, achievements, aspirations, highpoints and headaches. The blogs give us a sense of how their tree-plant business is going. In recent post Ashwin referred to water scarcity and his efforts to chase the authorities to resolve the issue. He had expressed hope that a dedicated waterline to the Vijayanagar park would be in place by April 11. There has been no update on this till date.

Nor is there any further word on Sapgreen’s efforts to cope with water shortage and what, if anything, the company has done to protect the 100 odd saplings planted at Vijayanagar on Ugadi Day. Shower-less evenings and punishing heat witnessed in the past week or more make Sapgreen’s task challenging. Those of us who share Anil-Ashwin’s concern for tree-plants would appreciate a feedback on a regular basis. Such connectivity, particularly for a green-delivery start-up that seeks public and government partnership, is good for business. Their web-silence could sap people’s goodwill and Sapgreen’s credibility.

On a personal note my stake in the Vijayanagar saplings stems from a neem sponsored for grandsons. In the absence of any blog update by Anil-Ashwin we, my wife and I, visited the Vijayanagara Park today (April 16).
We had a minor difference over the identity of the neem we planted on April 7. I reckon our sapling is hiding behind the bamboo tree-guard. My wife believes it is the one right behind, barely visible (in this shot), but identifiable by the white sheet covering its soil to retain moisture.