Daijiworld Media Network - Moodbidri (MB)
With inputs and pics from Shekar Ajekar

Moodbidri, Aug 16: Some public-spirited citizens from here observed the 60 years of Indian independence in a 'fruitful' way.  The brain behind it was veteran journalist Dhananjaya Moodbidri.

He took upon himself a project of planting 60 saplings of Guava in public places last week personally and completed the mission on the Independence Day. His mother Girija Nagappa Achar (73) and her grandson  Bhuvan (3) planted the 60th sapling at a simple function held near Swarajya Maidan on 8.15 am. He executed this project through the Working Journalists' Association of   Moodbidre.

Dhananjaya Moodbidri is a long-serving journalist in town, reporting for Udayavani Kannada daily and he had recently received the state-level Hoogar media award. He holds the credit of having covered two national-level Kannada literary meets.

He hails from an artisan-farmer family and writing is his hobby. He stresses that guava is more nutricious than apple and other popular fruits, and, besides, it needs lesser care to grow and needs no fencing.

He recalls his childhood days when guavas were available aplenty - and free of cost too - while returning from school. He had distributed over a hundred guava saplings brought up by himself at his farm to his contemporaries in school.