It’s 2010, and you gave your child a birthday present: a powerful, battery-powered toy plane. Your child loved it. Every other kid at the party wanted one too, and the other parents were quietly stressed, wondering how they’d manage to get something similar for their own children. But you didn’t notice. Blinded by societal norms, you did the same thing the following year, just a different toy this time, even though you were on budget.
Days passed, but the joy of that day faded away. Your child doesn’t even remember ever having that toy plane. No one does. The plane was practically forgotten within days. Its lifespan was short, and the peak excitement lasted only a few minutes or hours. It was replaced by many more toys.
Meanwhile, in a similar setting not far from you, Sara & Jamal, in spite of unlimited resources, decided to gift their child a tree on his birthday. It’s a small one, costs only a 200 rupees but it emits life, hope and progress. Sara says ”our kids need to realize from the very start how valuable nature is, and everything can be replaced, one toy with some other, but nature is irreplaceable”. Jamal said “we want our children to grow surrounded by nature and not factory made lifeless toys”.
“What’s the name of this tree?” someone asks.
“It’s a Sukh Chain,” Sara replies with a smile, “but we’ll name it whatever our daughter wants to call it.”
Everyone turns to the little girl, watching her as if she’s about to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. She’s thinking, deeply.
And then, all of a sudden, she softly mutters the name: Umeed, which means hope.
The name isn’t something a typical child would come up with. It’s a reflection of her upbringing, the kind of parenting that gently nurtured thoughtfulness and connection.
From the very beginning of her life, this little girl was introduced to trees. She was taught to admire flowers, to care for leaves, to notice bees, birds, and everything nature brings along. Her mind is pure, her heart open, and even at such a young age, she emits a quiet, positive aura.
Now imagine her growing up with this mindset, loving trees, respecting nature, and finding beauty in the smallest living things. What a beautiful soul she’s going to be.
“Quality living is way better than just living”
Hassan Aslam
PodaKahani wants you to be like Sara and Jamal.
We want you to give your kids the opportunity to grow up close to nature.
Toddlers may not understand what a plant is right away, but with repetition, it becomes familiar. Then, it becomes part of their world.
Every year, along with a toy, include a plant or a tree. Begin the gentle transition from plastic toys to living, breathing nature.
The next time you see a butterfly resting on that plant, run toward it with your child. Show them your excitement. Let them know this is a big deal.
Tell them, “This butterfly came here because of your plant. It’s looking for food, helping with pollination, finding shelter.”
Let them feel the wonder. Let them know they’re not just planting a tree. They’re raising a life.
Imagine if every parent did this, if every child grew up interacting with nature, bonding with it from the very beginning. What kind of citizens would they grow up to be?
Empathetic. Grounded. Responsible.
The kind of people this planet desperately needs.
Right now, Pakistan’s forest cover is less than 4%. For healthy ecosystems and sustainable living, a country should have at least 25% forest cover. This isn’t just alarming, it’s devastating. It’s not an environmental issue anymore.
It’s a matter of existence.
But why stop at kids?
Gift one to a friend, call it a Tree of Friendship.
Gift one to your parents, call it a Tree of Parenthood.
Gift one to a stranger, and name it Hope.
Give it any sweet title that holds meaning for you.
Turn your birthdays into a green chaos, because that’s what we need right now, a beautiful, wild, urgent chaos to restore the calm that only nature can bring.