Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 21, 2020)

Actor and a voice for causes related to the planet, Dia Mirza has consistently emphasised on the importance of protecting wildlife and forests to maintain environmental balance. She has planted 3,112 trees over the past year reiterating that with less than 25% forest cover remaining in India, one must recognise that forests are one of the most vital contributors to our ecosystem.

The Thappad actor has been planting trees in collaboration with Grow Trees Global on all special occasions. Whether it’s a friend’s birthday, a family member’s wedding anniversary or even the birth of a new baby in her close circle, she chooses to give the gift of nature by planting trees in their name in forest areas across the country.

On World Forest Day, which is celebrated today, she says, “Whether we are breathing clean air, eating food or drinking water, writing in a notebook or building a home, we owe so much to our forests. Forests enable carbon sequestration and they are the providers of all that we need for health, progress and sustenance. We owe most of what we are to our forests.”

Stressing on how afforestation adds to employment opportunities, she shares, “World Forest Day is a reminder that we can all do our bit to secure and protect our forests. All occasions become happier when one knows a gift with a grove of trees is adding tree cover to a forest, giving employment to grassroots and bringing balance to the environment in a special person’s name! This effort has become truly priceless and almost every person who has received this gift has chosen to continue the tradition at an individual level as well.”

Among the many people Mirza has gifted trees and groves to are some famous Bollywood names like Alia Bhatt, Abhishek Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Boman Irani, Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan and Shahid Kapoor.