Aadit, Mantri's first-born, completes Year One

Aadit,  Mantri's first-born, completes one year today.  We caught up with him when grandma - Champa Chakraborti - was taking Aadit around Mantri's on a  stroller. And on our request, the birthday boy and his grandma posed for a picture with the shenbagum plant we have named after Aadit.
The planting of the shenbagum in June last year  marked the start of our community planting programme. We have since planted 20 saplings in  Mantri Synergy apartment complex. We have planted another shenbagum , named after schoolboy Srinivas ; we have planted  neems named after Nitya and Aadhya ( driveway pot-painters), after my grandsons - Sidharth and Nikhil - when they started going to pre-school in California. Recently  a mango was planted in celebration of  Advik (the second child to be born at Mantri's).
Under our community planting programme we have had saplings planted to celebrate the first resident to move in at Mantri's - Mr Nambir - the first elected executive committee of our association; and to celebrate the visit of Santa Ujjal on the first Christmas at Mantri's.

Nasa Srini & Aadit are a week old

A week after we planted them Nasa Srinivas has started flowering already, and Aadit has fresh tender leaves coming up.
Now that the saplings have taken roots parents with young children could take them to visit Aadit and Nasa Srini, become their friends and watch them grow in their backyard.

Community planting

The shenbagams we planted on June 25 provided a photo opportunity for the emerging Mantri residents community. The 15 odd members representing Mantri's extended family lined up with the saplings planted to celebrate the arrival of baby Aadit in the Charkraborti family (F-904), and the return of schoolboy Srinivas (D-1202) from a 'space camp' hosted by NASA at their headquarters in Huntsvile, Alabama.



Aadit, who is less than a month old (birth - May 30), slept through the proceedings. And Srinivas who planted the other sapling would return to his boarding school in Ooty next month. By which time the shenbagams would have taken roots on Mantri soil, and assumed individual family identity. The kerbside plant near the ramp to G Block basement is Aadit, and the shenbagam standing next, is Nasa Srinivas. The plants are adopted children of the Mantri Synergy community.
Aadit's uncle Omkar Chakraborti videographed the planting ceremony. I wish he puts in a clip on YouTube. PropCare chief Mr Sivaram photographed the occasion, presumably, for Mantri's official record. I wouldn't be surprised if, at a future date, his photographs find space in a Mantri brochure on the company's 'loyalty programme'. We didn't know such a thing existed until we Ms Snehl Mantri made a mention in her e-mail. In response to a communication on community tree-planting by Mantri resident Mr Sriraj she referred his plea to Ms Priyanka who handles the Mantri loyalty programme. But then, as nothing was heard from Ms Priyanka, a few of us decided to ahead with our plan for community planting.
Here we have another shot of Aadit with grandma and Nasa Srinivas with his father Mr Sriraj, who event-managed the occasion. Though he planned for it to be an exclusive Aadit affair, I persuaded PropCare to get an extra sapling, with young Srinivas in mind. For I reckoned his achievement merited a sapling.
Which brings me to suggest 1) we designate the last Saturday of every month as community planting day, on which we celebrate achievements of children in our complex.
2)It can also be an occasion for a monthly get-together of residents over coffee. Last Saturday we had Sumi Coffee CEO Sumitha Ravi serving it with muruku at 'D' Block parking lot.
3) We would work with PropCare to mark out locations suitable for community planting.
4) Let us celebrate June 25 as Mantri Synergy Community Founding Day.