"Communities in India's Rajasthan state are planting trees to celebrate local customs and events such as weddings and funerals amid growing efforts to restore degraded land".

"BIKANER, India - With saplings in hand and faces veiled by colourful sarees, Suman and Sarita Takariya's relatives sang traditional songs as the sisters planted small shrubs at their combined pre-wedding celebration in a remote Indian village.

Suman, 21, and Sarita, 19, who married their husbands in a joint ceremony, are part of a growing trend in the western desert state of Rajasthan in which families gift and plant native trees as a new addition to their local customs and rituals.   

"They are a part of our family now," Sarita said as she cleaned her muddy hands after planting an oleander shrub."

Annie Banerji reports for Thomson Reuters Foundation June 3, 2022. [2]