TREES ARE the largest and the longest living organisms on earth.

To grow tall, the trees display miraculous feats of engineering and a complex chemical factory. It has the ability to absorb water and salts from the earth and transport them up to the leaves, sometimes over 400ft above. By means of photosynthesis, the leaves then combine the water and salts with carbon dioxide from the air to produce the nutrients, which serve as food for the tree. In this process, trees create wood, as well as many chemicals, seeds and fruit of great utility to man. Trees also remove carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, from the air. Trees are very important to our environment. Tropical rain forests are of particular significance; although they now occupy less than six per cent of the land surface of the earth, they sustain more than half of the biological species on the planet. Notwithstanding the debt we owe to trees, its emotive power, and its importance to other forms of life, the forested area of the earth is steadily being depleted. This in turn is leading to the degradation of the environment and the extinction of many species. A real danger cropping up is that in the near future man will destroy a large proportion of the present population of other species on earth, creating an uninhabitable environment, and then will die out himself. If this happens, it will not be the first time that a large proportion of the species on the earth have been extinguished.

Trees are very important to our environment. It purifies air and also provides fruits, woods for human beings. But the ever-increasing population is destroying the existing forest cover, which in turn will lead to the destruction of humankind itself. Trees occupy an important place in the life of man. The trees provide us flowers, fruits, fodder for animals, wood for fire and furniture and provide cool shadow from scorching sun. They give us so many such good things and yet expect nothing in return. Trees give us fruits for food and flowers for pleasure. They provide us timber (wood) for building our houses and making furniture. They provide us wood for fuel. They supply sleepers for the railway line. Many trees provide us medicinal products such as quinine and eucalyptus. In fact, most of the medicines that we use ultimately come to us through trees and vegetation. Trees play an important role in purifying the air around us. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen that sustains our life. Thus they make this world a better place to live in.

Trees are also very necessary for having good rainfall. The trees attract rain bearing clouds and prevent soil erosion and conserve the earth. Our Government also realised the importance of trees. The 'Chipko Andolans' and "Van Mahotsava' made us all aware of the importance of trees."One tree by one man" scheme by Vinobha Bhave also helped the cause. Even science has proved that trees are as necessary to our atmosphere as our food for life.

My favorite picnic spot

Delhi is the capital of India. It is a beautiful city. It has a number of picnic spots. These picnic spots are very popular with the people. They provide rest and recreation to them. People who are very busy throughout the week prefer to spend their week-ends with their families at these places, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Picnics add spice to our life. They provide us with much-needed leisure. They refresh and soothe our tired nerves. Students too like picnics. Picnics give them respite from their studies. After enjoying a picnic, they feel fresh again to take up their studies with renewed vigour. That is why every school arranges picnics for its students. In Delhi, the popular picnic spots are Talkatora Garden, Roshanara Bagh, Qudsia Garden, Buddha Jayanti Park, India Gate, Nehru Park, and Lodhi Gardens etc. These places are full of trees and plants of different varieties and have parks of green cushion-type grass where one can either play or just lie flat to relax. Delhi also has historical places like Qutab Minar, Red Fort, Humayuns Tomb, and Purana Quila etc. Last week, the Principal of our school offered to take the students of 12th class to Okhla for a picnic on Sunday. Our class teacher, Mr. Kapoor organised this picnic. Students paid Rs.50 each towards bus charges. Light refreshment was provided by the school. Students were asked to bring their own lunch packets with them. One deluxe bus was taken on hire from the Delhi Transport Corporation to carry the students from the school to Okhla and bring them back to the school. All the students reached the school on Sunday at 8.00 A.M. sharp. The bus also arrived in time. The class teachers asked the students to board the bus and take their seats. The first three front seats were reserved for the Principal, Mr. M.L. Puri, our class teacher Mr. Rooplal and the class monitors Mr. Ajay. The bus left the school at 8.15 A.M. and reached Okhla at 8.45 A.M. The journey was very comfortable.

The students were very happy as they would have a free day to enjoy themselves. They were wearing sports shirts, T-shirts or other fashionable dresses. They were looking very smart and cheerful. The picnic started at 9 A.M. All the students sat in a green park in the open sunshine. The Principal suggested that each student should participate by playing music, reciting a poem or a couplet, singing or dancing or giving a tit-bit. The suggestion was welcomed by all the students because it gave them a wide choice. The programme went off very well. Thereafter, the Principal divided the students into three groups. One group headed by the Principal himself went to the Okhla canal and started swimming. The second group with the class teacher as its incharge did boating. The third group with the class monitor as its guide started playing games. At 1.30 P.M. all the students reassembled at the same spot. The Principal announced that they could now open their lunch-boxes and have their lunch. The students greeted this announcement. They were feeling hungry. They shared their lunches with their friends. After the lunch was over, the students relaxed for some time and had a music session. The Principal announced that we would leave the picnic spot at 5 P.M. Till then, students were free to do what they liked. A juggler also came there and started performing. Some students gathered around him to see his show. A few students sat down under the shade of a tree and started playing cards, while a few others started playing chess. Some students who were not interested in playing these games played their transistors and tape recorders. They listened to the Indian and Western music with rapt attention. The students danced with gay abandon when someone put on a Western music number on a tape recorder. They sang, danced and clapped. They felt like free birds. Now it was time for light refreshment. All students were served with tea and biscuits by the bearers of a nearby restaurant. The tea was hot, the biscuits crisp and delicious, so everybody enjoyed it. At 5.00 P.M. sharp, our teacher blew a whistle. It was a signal for the students to go. The students boarded the bus rather reluctantly. They wanted to spend some more time at this picnic spot. Anyway, the bus dropped the students at the school at 5.30 P.M. The picnic had thus come to an end. But its memory would last for ever.