Renedy, Udanta and other Indian footballers plant saplings in Manipur village

The likes of Renedy Singh, Udanta Singh, Suresh Wangjam, Ninthoinganba Meetei, Boris Thangjam and Jeakson Singh planted saplings in Tentha village of Manipur.

Renedy Singh, Udanta Singh and other footballers assembled in the village of Tentha situated around 50 kilometres south of Imphal, Manipur.

Several Indian football stars assembled in the village of Tentha situated around 50 kilometres south of Imphal, Manipur, for a noble cause. All the athletes carried out an afforestation activity -- as they sunk their hands into the soil and planted different saplings.

Former National Team star Renedy Singh, current player Udanta Singh, U-17 World Cup stars like Suresh Wangjam, Ninthoinganba Meetei, Boris Thangjam, Jeakson Singh were present for the occasion. Among others present were Salam Ranjan Singh, Chinglensana Singh, Malemnganba Meetei, Pritam Ninthoujam, and a few others.

Renedy, who has had an illustrious career with over 70 international caps to his name made the long trip from Imphal because of an emotional connection to the place. The 41-year-old used to come to the village to participate in local tournaments.

READ | 

“The village is about a one-and-a-half-hour drive from my house in Imphal. But when I heard that they were having a tree-planting activity here, there was no way I could stay away from it. The pitch is right around the corner from where we were planting, and it brought back so many memories,” Renedy told AIFF.com.

Udanta 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,” he said.

India’s U-17 World Cup player Ninthoi has been carrying out the same afforestation activities in nearby hills as well – activities which he finds to be therapeutic.

“It’s very important that we spread the message of planting more trees across the country. I have been doing the same on certain hills in the nearby areas as well. I must say that I find the activity very engaging. It helps me clear my mind,” claimed Ninthoi.

“It was really good to meet all of the seniors in Tentha and plant trees together. They had also played local tournaments here, it was good to exchange some old memories with people like Renedy-Bhai   and Ranjan-Bhai,” he added.