Thursday, July 7 2005 14:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Coimbatore: With a view to bring about harmony among people of different faiths, the Rashtrapati Bhavan has started a spiritual garden containing plants revered by many religions.

"I've observed that there are some plants that co-exist. They are common to many religions and are respected. Keeping this in mind, we started a spiritual garden at a third location at Rashtrapati Bhavan," President A P J Abdul Kalam said, addressing the students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University on the occasion of 26th convocation last evening (July 7, 2005).

Observing that, "Our societies can generate many divisions and quarrel over one note or the other," Kalam said the spiritual garden has certain plants, which were valued by people of various religions.

"We grouped these plants in such a way, so that thousands of people when they see it, they may learn from these plants on how to co-exist," the President said.

The spiritual garden seeks blossoming of harmony in the hearts leading to units of minds, he said.

Saying that there was certain unutilised land in Bhavan, Kalam said that he was debating with experts during the morning walk how to utilize the land fully.

India needs value addition to special herbs and medicinal plants and hence the necessity of the herbal garden was felt and it was established to demonstrate the importance of value addition to the farmers, Kalam noted.

At a second location, we went for Jatropha Curcas biofuel farm, as the Government has decided that up to 10 per cent bio-fuel can be mixed with diesel. This indeed is a very big economic proposition and employment generator, Kalam stated.

The herbal garden illustrated to the farmers, how to raise herbs and aromatic plants and add value to their products, by extracting, storing and marketing the products.

This was being done in partnership with National R and D Laboratories at Rashtrapati Bhavan, he said.

Important medicinal plants, shrubs and herbs were grouped according to their curative properties of diseases of a particular system of the human body.

There was also provision for visually challenged people to feel the plant, smell the leaves and learn about their various attributes of the plants, through the Braille boards, Kalam said.

Jatropha gives a very important message of cultivation of bio-fuel plants with minimal water and the farmers learn about Jatropha cultivation ad conversion of Jatropha into bio-fuel that can substantially increase the earning capacity of the farmers, he said.

In this way, Rashtrapati Bhavan was able to offer something of value to the farmers, enriching experience to the visually challenged people, inquisitive learning experience to students inspirational experience to the people of different religious faith and spiritual personalities and above all bliss to the lovers of beautiful flowers this year, Kalam stated.