Maharashtra Forest Department Writes 'Bharat Mata' With 65,724 Saplings, Creates A World Record

In a unique achievement, the Maharashtra forest department has set a special world record, using thousands of saplings as a part of the recently concluded Tadoba Festival 2024. According to their latest update, the department made use of around 65,724 saplings to form the word ‘Bharat Mata’, thus setting the record for the ‘largest potted sapling word’. To achieve the feat, the saplings were arranged in such a manner that, if viewed from a higher angle, one can read the complete word ‘Bharat Mata’, spelled in Hindi.

The social media handle of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve shared a picture of the unique tribute and also of the Guinness World Record (GWR) certificate and wrote, “The Maharashtra Forest Department, Government of Maharashtra, India has achieved a remarkable feat while paying a tribute to the nation, at Chandrapur.”

Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar posted a video of the same on his X (Formerly Twitter) handle and shared his views. Praising the effort made by the forest department, he said, “During the Tadoba Festival, the state forest department created the word ‘Bharat Mata’ with 65,724 saplings of 26 different species, setting a Guinness World Record.” Notably, it was the same ceremony when the state minister inaugurated the Tadoba Festival and received the certificate.

It was in 2023 that the Assam Forest Department bagged the world record for the longest line of potted saplings. With the use of 3,22,444 saplings, the department created a spiral circling outwards from a centre point, measuring upto 22.22 km. This was carried out as a part of the state’s Amrit Brikshya Andolan. Besides the Longest Line of Potted Saplings, the department distributed seedlings in other categories as well, thus receiving a total of nine Guinness World Record certificates. A total of 1,11,17,781 seedlings of different commercially valuable tree species were planted across the state on a single day.

About the Tadoba Festival 2024

The three-day festival commenced on 1 March and concluded on Sunday, 3 March. Organised by the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), it was held in a bid to support wildlife conservation in line with sustainable tourism and the preservation of Maharashtra’s heritage.

During the event, a letter from PM Modi was also read out, where he emphasised the importance of such festivals, stating that it helps to acknowledge biodiversity and appreciate the dedicated efforts of forest personnel, local communities, scientific institutions, and NGOs working toward tiger conservation.