Old people can be fussy. They don't enjoy loud
music, they don't like people shouting, and they positively detest traffic
horns and loud Diwali crackers. Actually, traffic sounds and Diwali rackers can
cause hearing problems among the healthiest of us.
For the 124 residents of St Joseph's Home for the
Aged, however, things are bound to get quieter and peaceful. And no one
deserves it more. These old man and women aged 65 to 92 live in one of the
busiest areas of Kolkata, and also the noisiest. Traffic sounds occur in their
dreams and the honking cars have become a part of their existence.
Until now, that is. To mark Earth Day, seven ladies
from the INNER WHEEL CLUB Metro Maidan, through Sustainable Green Initiative, planted
65 Ashoka trees as a way of drowning out noise pollution for the residents. The
"live" wall of these Devadaru trees as they are called in Bengal,
will grow up to 25 feet high, thus dulling the sounds and also making the air
cleaner. The ladies accompanied by three children visited the home bright and
early on 26th April 2015, and got down to business.
SGI will look after these tree saplings for the next
two years to ensure they grow nice and healthy. We also plan to have 300 more
trees, which includes lots of fruit trees, too. The residents are asking for a
number of soft on the dentures papaya and banana trees. Fussy, like we said.
