Away from the flurry of social media campaigns designed to mark World Environment Day today, Randeep Hooda is celebrating the day in a manner that counts. The actor and his wife Lin Laishram, along with the locals of Boda Chhapri in Madhya Pradesh, have planted about 500 trees near Kanha National Park. “World Environment Day is not just a symbolic date on the calendar; for me, it’s a reminder that we are running out of time to repair the damage we’ve done to nature,” states Hooda, who is known to be an avid wildlife photographer.

Randeep Hooda

The actor says that his visits to various national parks across the country have only highlighted that forest conservation should be among our top priorities. “Forests are the lungs of our planet. My connection to wildlife has always been spiritual, and every visit to Kanha only reinforces the urgency of our responsibility towards nature,” he shares, emphasising that every small act of nature conservation can lead to a big change. “Planting a tree may seem like a small act, but it is powerful. Lin and I feel humbled to contribute, even in a small way, to this incredible ecosystem that needs our protection now more than ever. Forests and wildlife are interdependent, and both must thrive together.”