Rajanna Sircilla: Whenmost children spend their holidays indoors, 12-year-old Dobbala Blessy from Suddala village in Konaraopet mandal spends her time walking through forests with bags of seed balls, hoping to make a small but lasting contribution to the nature.
A Class VII student of the Social Welfare Residential School at Baddenapalli, Blessy has been actively involved in afforestation activities since the age of three, drawing inspiration from her father, environmental activist, Prakruthi Prakash.
Over the years, she collected seeds of native tree species, prepared seed balls and scattered them across forest areas in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to promote natural regeneration and improve green cover.
This monsoon, Blessy prepared nearly 10,000 seed balls using Allaneredu (jamun) seeds collected from beneath the trees, along with additional seeds procured for the initiative. She scattered seed balls across forest areas in Lingampet of Kamareddy district and Rudrangi in Rajanna Sircilla district.
Prakash said Blessy had earlier taken part in similar afforestation drives in the forests of Gambhiraopet, Chandurthi, Rudrangi, Shivangalapalli and Manala in Rajanna Sircilla district, besides the Kondagattu forest in neighbouring Jagtial district.
The seed balls contain seeds of native species such as custard apple, tamarind and Jamun, which are well suited to the local ecosystem.
Blessy says her mission is guided by a simple belief. "If we protect the nature, it will protect us. Forests are disappearing and climate patterns are changing. Every person should plant at least one tree and do his part to preserve the environment for future generations," she said.
She credits her father, Prakruthi Prakash, and Padma Shri awardee Vanajeevi Ramaiah as her biggest inspirations in environment conservation mission.
Blessy's commitment has earned her several State and national-level recognitions. She also appeared in Vanajeevi, a film promoting forest conservation. Prakash said the film's director, Vemuganti, later presented the film's Gaddar Award to Blessy at the Governor's office as a mark of encouragement.
Residents say Blessy's efforts have inspired many children to take an active interest in environmental conservation, proving that age is no barrier to making a meaningful difference. They believe her work is encouraging young people to contribute towards building greener and healthier forests for future generations.