Udupi: A Miyawaki forest shaped like a cricket bat, and named after Sachin Tendulkar, is set to come up in Katapady, using the sport’s popularity to draw young people towards environmental action.Katapady-based environmentalist K Mahesh Shenoy will develop the forest on 30 cents of land, marking his second Miyawaki project. Titled the Sachin Tendulkar Miyawaki Forest, the initiative blends cricket symbolism with conservation to encourage youth participation.A pharmaceutical distributor and motivational speaker, Shenoy told TOI: Cricket connects deeply with the younger generation. Through this concept, I want to channel that connection towards protecting the environment.An early adopter of the Miyawaki method in the region, Shenoy developed Ganapathi Vana nearly eight years ago on an 838-sq-ft plot, naming it after his grandfather. The effort, he said, helped popularise the dense afforestation technique locally. “Today, around 16 such Miyawaki forests have come up in the vicinity, including a 50-cent project by Alfred Vincent Monis with nearly 3,000 saplings,” he said.Shenoy said the new project comes at a critical time amid rising tree felling. “With the West Asia crisis, many hotels have shifted to firewood usage. We are cutting trees at an alarming pace, but are we planting enough in return?” he asked.Spread across 13,020 sqft on land valued at an estimated Rs 1.8 crore, the forest will feature 12–15 native species, including neem, silver oak and teak. It will be developed in phases, starting with soil preparation, followed by the planting of at least 3,000 saplings.The project will be launched on April 3 at Posar in Katapady, with Sudhir Nayak Karopady of Rising Roos Cricket Academy, Australia, and Australian cricket coaches expected to take part in the inaugural planting.
