Diamond City's Tulsi Bhabhi has sacred gift for all

SURAT: For many in Diamond City, she is Tulsi Bhabhi though her real name is Surekha Patel. Her passion is to see a Tusli (basil) plant in every house in the city and for this she gives away the plant to everybody free-of-cost.
She did not have any record in mind but recently she entered the Limca Book of Records after she had distributed 10,000 Tulsi saplings free to 10,000 people.
This 50-year-old hous ewif egrow s basil plants on her sprawling farm near Palsana, some 25km from Surat city. She said she was not in the race to set a new record. She just wanted to do some thing that would not only be unique but also useful and spread a healthy message.
She had been toying with the idea of distributing Tulsi plants for long. Finally, she decided that she would nurture 10,000 Tulsi saplings and distribute them free of cost.
Then she began work at her Vaijnath Farms in Palsana (Surat) where her staff along with other hired labourers worked with her.
The seeds were sown, watered regularly and nourished with organic fertilizers. Once they had grown up a bit, they were kept in a greenhouse and finally transferred in small bags for distribution.The work required great care and hard labour for 4 months.In all, 10,000 saplings were nurtured.
But why Tulsi? She said that according to ayurved, Tulsi has many medicinal properties.
“This wonder plant is used to treat many health problems, including cough and cold,“ she said. “Apart from this, it is believed that each daughter, on her wedding day, should be gifted a Tulsi plant as it is a symbol of peace and prosperity."
Last year, she gifted 151 Tulsi saplings to 151 fatherless girls on their wedding day . The mass marriage was organized and conducted by the philanthropist, Mahesh Savani of the P P Savani Group.
Dr Raj Ashok Shetty , a citybased observer for Limca Book of Records and expert fitness trainer, said Tulsi Bhabhi was unaware of her record.
“She had already distributed thousands of Tulsi plants to people in the city. I urg ed her to reach the 10,000 plants record. She achieved it in just four months,“ Shetty said.