A man spending his 30 years building a forest, isn't it a great inspirational story?
Once there was a man who saw his homeland either drying up or flooding excessively and thought of doing something to end it. Then he started a plantation. He did it rigorously and transformed a desert-like field into a forest. This is the story of JadavPayeng, also regarded as the Forest Man of India. Want to know some more about this incredible human being? Go through this article.
Life of JadavPayeng:
He was a normal farmer in the Assam state of India. He lived in the Jorhat region of Assam. JadavPayeng has a happy family with a wife and five children.
Where is this forest located? And the history associated with it.
This forest is situated on the Majuli Island of the famous Brahmaputra River. To be more precise this forest is located near the Kokilamukh region in the Jorhat district. The area faced extensive soil erosion before reforestation. Majuli Island has shrunk to half over the last few decades. Considering soil erosion, Assam Forestry Division has taken some initiatives in 1980. They aimed to start plantation at least 200 hectares of that region. Unfortunately, due to some issues, the program was abandoned. Mr. Peyang was part of this initiative from the beginning. While others left the program, he started the plantation in his own way. Initially, he started with bamboo trees only and then other plants.
What was the inspiration behind rigorous plantation?
To perform a huge task, you need motivation. You just cannot do anything big without strong motivation. The forest man of India also had a motivation. There is a famous quote stating that will can take you what you want. Once during a flood and deforestation, Mr. Peyang witnessed many dead snakes on the land near his house. He started to find out what was wrong in that place. He remembered that someone has told once to start a plantation to avoid soil loss. Following that advice, he started a plantation in that region.
What is the status of reforestation now?
Nearly 550 hectares of the region have been transformed into the forest by a single man's effort. Apart from bamboo, other varieties of tree found in this region are Arjun (Scientific name: Terminalia arjuna), silk trees (scientific name: Albiziaprocera), cotton trees (scientific name: Bombaxceiba), royal poinciana (scientific name: Delonixregia), Moj (scientific name: Archidendronbigeminum), and so on. Due to the restoration of plants, wildlife has also been restored. This forest has numerous deers, snakes, tigers, birds, monkeys, rabbits, and so on. You may also observe some migratory birds too.
Trivia about the forest man of India:
Considering his noble work, Mr. Peyang was conferred Padmashree. Also, a film was made inspired by his life and effort. This is a multilingual film named HathiMeraSathi (Hindi), Kaadan (Tamil), and Aranya (Telugu), starring Rana Daggubati. Also, a few documentaries are also made about his life.
Just imagine what one man can do if he has goodwill. This is the largest one-man-made forest in Asia. There are larger manmade forests too. But, those are the examples of combined efforts, not a single man's effort.
