NEW DELHI (India): Former and current Indian players took part during an afforestation drive at Tentha near Imphal, capital of Manipur state.
Former India captain Renedy SIngh alongwith U17 World Cup players like Suresh Wangjam, Ninthoinganba Meetei, Boris Thangjam, Jeakson Singh were present on the occasion.
Renedy, who has had an illustrious career with over 70 international caps to his name made the long trip all the way from Imphal because of an emotional connect to the place.
“The village is about a one-and-a-half-hour drive from my house in Imphal. But I wanted to be there because it was a very good initiative by my friend Ajanta, who came up with the idea of planting trees around this beautiful ground,” Renedy told AIFF website.
“The pitch is right around the corner from where we were planting, and it really brought back so many memories.”
Blue Tigers winger Udanta Singh was quick to point out the positive aspects of the activity and urged the fans “to come forward and plant more trees.”
“It was great that all came together for this cause. We must all take care of our Mother Earth, and planting more trees is one way that we can make it more environment-friendly for us, and our future generations. I hope more people will come forward and sow the seeds of a better future for the next generations – not just here in Imphal, but all over India,” Udanta opined.
India’s U-17 World Cup quartet of Ninthoinganba, Suresh, Boris and Jeakson also planted their own saplings at the venue. NInthoi has been carrying out the same afforestation activities in nearby hills as well – an activity that he finds to be therapeutic.
