Aditi loves a challenge! .

- Nowadays-Preity Shah

- Thirty-year-old Aditi Patil has studied law, but is more interested in this work. Together with his friends, he teaches children to make seedballs while playing.

Marathwad region of Maharashtra state is known for frequent drought, drought and severe water scarcity. Aditi Patil, a resident of Udgir in Latur district, went to Pune for studies during 2011-12. There one day, after reading the news in the 'Pune Mirror' newspaper that water would be given once instead of twice, the wise citizens of Pune protested and some took to the streets. Aditi was stunned by such news, because she had no idea of ​​such a system, because even if they get tap water once in ten days, it is said to be very good. Good luck! Sometimes water came in twenty days and sometimes in thirty days. All lived in such a situation. No one was willing to do anything to address this and there were some people who were constantly worried, because in 2016 when there was a terrible drought in Latur district, water was supplied by train. The situation in Udgir was extremely dire. Based on the study, ISRO has also predicted that by 2030, the Marathawad region will turn into a sandy desert. Aditi Patil continued to think of a solution to this.

Aditi thought of planting trees during the monsoon season to alleviate the water problem, but it was costly and getting government help was not easy. During that time he read and learned about seedballs. This is a technique given by the Japanese farmer, microbiologist and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka, in which vegetable, fruit or tree seeds are made into soil balls and then these organic balls are thrown in the relevant area. Aditi told her friends about Seedball. Everyone gathered like a picnic and made seedballs. Some of them grew true. Two parts of soil and one part of compost are taken to make seedballs. Proportionate water is obtained in it. The amount of water should not be too much so that the ball does not roll or too little. The seeds are placed in this mixture and shaped like a ball and dried in the shade for two days. The shape of the ball keeps getting smaller and bigger along with the shape of the seed. After these seedballs are dried, they are thrown on the land to be grown on. As soon as it rains, the seed boll opens and the seeds get water. In this way the plant grows without planting. The best thing about seedballs is that the seeds placed in them are safe, birds can't eat them and the cost is so low - a seedball costs a maximum of ten rupees to make!

After Aditi Patil got success, he contacted his acquaintances and went to school. Organized a workshop here. So far, workshops have been conducted in more than one hundred schools and fifteen thousand children have been taught how to make seedballs. Gradually his friends joined him and in 2018 he established the Caravan Foundation in Udgir. He has created two small forests with his friends. There are more than twelve hundred trees in it now. According to Aditi, one hundred seedballs can be made in an hour. Aditi and her friends have so far prepared more than sixty thousand seedballs. Apart from this they have prepared five seed banks. In which seeds of fruits and vegetables are stored. They have collected more than two lakh seeds.

Thirty-year-old Aditi Patil has studied law, but she is more interested in this work. Together with his friends, he teaches children to make seedballs while playing. The reason for involving children in this campaign is to make them aware of the environment from an early age and take an active interest in its conservation. It also conducts online workshops. In the tough times of Corona, people were alerted about seedballs only through online. 725 km by Caravan Foundation. Organized more than a cycle yatra, so that the masses join the seedball campaign. Aditi Patil doesn't stop there. Knowledge Box is placed in Ganapati Pandal along with Donation Box by Karvan Foundation. In an attempt to connect Saraswati with Lakshmi, he found notebooks, pens, pencils for bus students in the knowledge box, enough for a small school. Motivated by this success, knowledge boxes were placed in many Ganpati pandals. Along with this, they do the activity of 'Vachankatta'. This reading activity is done for children who cannot go to the library due to lack of money or whose parents both work. In which the box is placed outside the temple, college, hospital. It has a system of putting any book and taking any book. They collect rainwater. The mosque also stores water next to the borewell, which is used for ablution before offering namaz. Aditi Patil, who is very aware of the preservation of every aspect of the environment by studying it deeply, believes that if the environment is saved, then only we will be saved.

Animals are my first love!

'When you do something good you feel a kind of security around you. Even in the most difficult and difficult situations, they feel a power around them.'

Little Antony Rubin, who lived at his grandmother's house in Alvarpet area of ​​Chennai, used to watch the birds flying and the animals roaming around from the window. Having a love and compassion for animals since childhood, Antony joined an animal welfare organization as a volunteer at the age of seventeen. 37-year-old Antony Rubin, who runs a web development company, says that since childhood, he could not see any animal or bird suffering. He was satisfied when he saved him from it or treated him. Today, the aim of his life is to help animals and birds.

Antony Rubin, who showed compassion towards animals and birds since childhood, went to Chennai's Marina Beach one day. People coming here were enjoying horse riding. Antony noticed that one of the horses could not walk properly and its leg was swollen. Antony arranged for an ambulance to take him to the hospital, but unfortunately the horse died on the way. This incident shocked his heart so much that he started animal rescue work on a large scale. Since then he has been campaigning to save dogs, horses, chimpanzees and ferocious animals.

Antony Rubin does not remember how many animals he has rescued so far, but recounts a few occasions where four chimpanzees were employed in a circus in Tamil Nadu. Among them, Lakshmi fell from a thin rope and became paralyzed. Antony found that she was kept in a cage so small that she could not compete and that her body was covered in flak. Antony saw this and informed the police. It was not so easy to save him or take him to a safe place. As the vehicle could carry two chimpanzees at once, it was decided to take Lakshmi's mother and brother first and return to take her son, but her son became aggressive without the family. So they had to bring the two back to the circus and take the three together. This whole incident was completed in thirteen hours with the help of three hundred policemen. A month later Antony went to the center as it was Lakshmi's birthday that day. Deciding to remove the chain around his neck, Antony considered two possibilities. Either he may become aggressive or he may enjoy independence. Antony opened the chain and Lakshmi smiled and extended her hand to Antony when he met her!

Antony says that there are many humbling experiences when we delve deep into animal rescue. On seeing a Malabar squirrel once, he was surprised that it could not be its resident, and upon investigation, Antony reached out to its owner and learned that he had bought it from a person. Antony met the hunter as a customer. He had a menu card of animals and also said that he would bring a panther for twenty two thousand. Antony informed the police and got him arrested.

Once Antony got news that a lion was used in the circus. Antony knew that the Indian government had banned the use of lions in circuses. So he investigated and reached a district in Tamil Nadu. According to the information he got, he reached the laundry shop. There were many shops around. How can there be a lion in such a crowded area? But a few meters away there were four wild animals in a cage. He was kept in a cut iron cage and was fed dal and rice. Seeing this, Antony went to the police, but the police remained inactive saying that this was a case of court proceedings. Antony returned to Chennai after taking photos. Posted those photos on social media. Citizens and the government were alerted by the news of a lion kept in a residential area like this and they were immediately taken to a rescue center. When Antony went to the rescue center to check on the condition of the lions, they were sniffing Antony with their mouths in the net. Behaved like a small cat.

While doing animal protection and rescue work, Antony Rubin receives many threats from hostile elements. When we ask Antony if he is not afraid of predatory animals or such threats, he says that when you do something good, you feel a kind of security around you. Even in the most difficult and difficult situations, they feel a power around them. He was made a member of Tamil Nadu State Wildlife Board in May 2022. They say we need to understand that animals never harm us, but when we invade their natural habitat, they become aggressive. We need to step towards change.