Gonit Sora, the gateway to mathematics

                                                                 Ankur Bora

Mathematics, like painting or poetry, is hard creative work. It takes great amount of time and laborious effort to produce a piece of art and it takes slow, contemplative process to recognize a theory of mathematics. Like art, Mathematics is understood by someone who knows the history and philosophy of the subject, who is excited and curious about the recent developments and who has a propensity to original thinking. Unfortunately, the teaching of mathematics is reduced to mere data transmission. Mathematics is often treated as joyless and redundant exercises, mathematics classes are often cluttered with jargon and nomenclature. If teachers themselves are passive recipients of information and not creators of new ideas, what hope is there for their students?

In early part of this decade , two young math enthusiasts were taking a closer look at exactly what our Assamese students were up against— what they were being exposed to in the name of mathematics, and how they were being harmed in the process. “We have realized that the scene in Assam is not very good and there are lot of things that students do not know.” – It’s part of a fascinating, heartwarming story of these young men. Rather than to live under the mercy of circumstances, they learn how to create opportunity. Unlike others who find excuses to leave, they began to focus on prospects, leading to the formation of ‘GonitSora’, the first ever forum on Mathematics for the students of Assam.  

  

I have always been fascinated by all things mathematical. Mathematics is woven in every fabric of our daily lives. As you are reading this article on internet or sending a text message to your friends, it is the mathematics theory and algorithms in action, inconspicuous and invisible, yet precise and accurate, passing the data from one end to the other. I am always intrigued by mathematics and the mathematicians, I have always been curious about, is John Nash. While Dr. Nash solved intractable problems in differential geometry and pure mathematics, his more remarkable contribution was to the Game theory for which he won the Nobel Prize in economics in the year 1994. The mathematical genius who was a legend by age thirty, slipped into paranoia and delusion for more than three decades. The epic tale of Dr. Nash’s life miraculous transformation – his brilliant rise, the years lost to schizophrenia, his return to rationality and his receiving the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was vividly captured in the Oscar-winning film, “A Beautiful Mind”. Recently I was exploring any Assamese write-up on Dr. Nash and my quests lead me to the unexpected joy of discovering GonitSora and the spirited story of it’s founders.

Manjil Saikia is a young Math enthusiast who had the distinction of winning national and international recognitions and honors in the field of mathematics. Currently, a Research Fellow at the University of Vienna, Austria Manjil is pursuing PhD in the specialized field of combinatorics and number theory. Manjil was good at mathematics since his early childhood and his parents had been supportive throughout in his school days. The first bite of mathematical apple occurred when Manjil at around age fourteen, had the good fortune of meeting Prof. Mangesh B. Rege of the North Eastern Hill University, Shillong. The interaction gave him the first glimpse of real mathematics, a heady realm of symbols, the mysterious integers, the deep and revelatory patterns.  Prof. Mangesh also encouraged him to participate in Mathematical Olympiad, a competition that tests the skill as well as patience of problem solving. Manjil topped the state and regional Mathematical Olympiad, thereby also winning the prestigious Dr. Subratanada Dowerah Memorial Gold Medal in the year 2007. Manjil has also been inspired and encouraged by a number of individuals including Prof. Nayandeep Deka Baruah of Tezpur University , Dr. Rupam Barman and Dr. Anupam Saikia of IIT Guwahati, Prof. Sujatha Ramdorai  of University of British Columbia, Canada and Dr. Dilip Sharma, retired Head of Mathematics, Cotton College. He fondly shares some of the anecdotes –“once I wanted to read few books of Dr. Sharma but they were out of print. I made a phone call to him, not expecting him to respond but I was surprised and to this day I remain indebted to him for motivating and giving me many of his books and articles to read. I have met very few men as kind as him.”

When he was studying at Darrang College, Manjil started discussing mathematics in an online forum called art of problem solving. The forum enriched and invigorated Manjil and his fellow pupils. Mathematics forums are online forums that are great places to ask questions about math, practice teaching math, and to socialize with math fraternity. Manjil soon moved into Tezpur University and here, he came into contact with Pankaj Jyoti Mahanta.

Pankaj hails from Lakhimpur where he completed his graduate study at North Lakhimpur College. There is a small bookstore at the center of the town, which he used to frequent during his childhood. “It was browsing through those books in the shop that fueled my dreams of mathematics.” – The bookstore contributed to his intellectual growth and he developed a number ideas for students and youths. However his peers never understood the significance of them. Like many other men who have conceived great ideas ahead of time, Pankaj was laughed at. Even at Guwahati University, where he enrolled for postgraduate, the academic environment was not productive at that time. Thus, he left the course midway. It was time of great uncertainty though he never gave up his dream; perhaps he was willing to endure in order to create something. Pankaj eventually joined Tezpur University to complete MSc in Mathematics.    

It was at the university, Manjil and Pankaj, realized the importance of mathematics forum for Assamese students and in the month of April 2011, they launched a multilingual web magazine called Gonit Sora.  Gonit Sora, meaning the gateway to mathematics in Assamese, is a sincere effort to popularize mathematics and to use lessons and resources to bring real-life math into the classroom.  The website caters to the student community by posting relevant articles in branches of mathematics like geometry, probability and calculus, creating an online repository of mathematical articles and facts, and organizing workshops and outreach activities for college and school students. Gonit Sora is gaining popularity with amazing increase in the number of questions received. The dedicated teams of editors and staff writers are posting the answered queries in a regular basis.

I am an avid reader and regular visitor to Gonit Sora website and this is where I come across a fascinating story on John Nash. Dr. Surajit Borkotokey is a young Math enthusiast, who, had the rare distinction of meeting the Nobel laureate at an International conference at University of São Paulo, Brazil. This incredible meeting in form of an article was first published in the website of Gonit Sora. I am immensely proud of Surajit and I hope that such instructive, inspiring article will reach lots of Assamese students and stimulate young minds.

 Manjil has been communicating with me regularly sharing his most rewarding experience, at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. “At ICTP, I had the good fortune of meeting and listening to Nobel Laureates and Fields Medalists and that had made a deep mark on me and the way I do mathematics.” Manjil also shares the testimonials of some of the young students and researchers whom he mentors. “I also try to help any student who writes to me in whatever way possible. I must mention about two students in whom I take special pride. One of them got admission at the Chennai Mathematical Institute, a world class institute noted for its research in the field of algebraic geometry, while the other, a young HSLC passed out, recently finished writing his first research paper which is being accepted in a reputed journal.”  Meanwhile, Pankaj has joined Gauhati University to pursue PhD in mathematics with specialization in algebraic graph theory. He also continues to contribute to Gonit Sora – “What I could not get access to in our childhood, I am trying to provide to the new generation through Gonit Sora”

Mathematics is the source of timeless profound knowledge, which goes to the heart of all matter and which unites us across cultures, continents, and centuries. The theories of Mathematics, provide us with the eyes to recognize and describe the patterns of life―patterns that exist in the physical, biological, and social worlds. Let’s the students of Assam see, appreciate, and marvel at the magic of  axioms, formulas and equations, for who are fluent in the theory of mathematics will be in the cutting edge of progress.

                                                                                                

Website of Gonit Sora

http://gonitsora.com/

                                                            

The spirit of Arbor

The spirit of Arbor                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                          Ankur Bora

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” Emerson perhaps was speaking of the power of intention. Everything that happens in the universe begins with intention. When we set intentions, we ask the universe to guide us toward our goals. And once we make a decision, the decision also seems to make us; we find the joy of life of service. We discover fellow travelers extending a hand and encouraging each other to rise up and walk. We witness beautiful arbor, with their beauty on one hand and their service on the other, beckoning us to the spring of abundance.

It is one thing to understand the issues. It is quite another to do something about them. For Jadav Payeng, it all started with trees. He made his decisions, and sent his intentions out to the universe — backed up with large measures of hard work, perseverance and love. He had a vision of building a better future —trees healing the land and regenerating the vitality of earth, of children whose daily lives are enriched by nature’s wonder and growing up to become champions of the environment, of urban areas rejuvenating with saplings and coming to life with neighborly spirit. The story of Jadav Payeng is an epic battle of mankind; spending 30 years alone planting trees on a barren sandbar near Majuli Island in Assam, Payeng has converted it to a sprawling 1360 acres of forest.  He is one of the most triumphant stories of the human spirit and Jadav’s wonderful work is bringing people together – students, professionals and environmental activities; local communities, Township and Council members, arborists and elected officials, inspiring all to make a measurable positive difference to the people and the planet.

Amazing positive achievements can happen when we connect with others and put faith in the collective power of people. Assam Foundation of North America (AFNA) is an organization which believes in fostering cooperation through a common goal. This year AFNA decided to take the inspiring story of Jadav Payeng to the next level by partnering with Bridgewater Township in New Jersey, U.S.A, to plant trees in its community parks. It all started when Mr. Binoy K. Bordoloi, director of AFNA, visited the interior island village and witnessed firsthand Payeng’s single-handed quest and missionary zeal. On his return, Mr. Bordoloi informed us and also imbibed us - It’s a time we come together and make a common voice. He proposed AFNA to be a vehicle for environmental work. Thus, we embarked on a mission – we will promote Jadav’s story over and over again until people get the message. We also set on an immediate goal, to lean on elected officials to take immediate action.

America is the most charity-minded nation on earth. If approached and informed properly, Americans are more than willing to support service to anyone, anywhere in the world. There are a great number of non-profit organizations promoting planting of trees in this country. The Arbor Day Foundation is a conservation and education organization that inspires people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. We decided to approach the foundation and the township of Bridgewater and our effort was led by Mr. Niren Choudhury.  Mr. Choudhury is a man of commitment, tenacity, determination, belief and planning. He met and impressed upon the foundation members – that, there should be a theme each time they plant trees, to enhance the meaning of their action. Mr. Choudhury also presented to the board members the video of the short film “Forest Man.” by Canadian filmmaker William Douglas McMaster. Nevertheless, our application had to go through intense screening process. Finally, we received the anticipated news - The Bridgewater Township is pleased to announce a tree dedication ceremony to honor the internationally renowned forester Jadav Payeng.

The news of the tree plantation initiative created an instant sensation. The news spread throughout the locality and soon schools, regional foresters, councilmen, arborists became eager to take part in the program. The frontrunner among them was the Roots & Shoots from nearby Hillside Intermediate School. Roots and Shoots program is a Club that meets regularly before school to work on activities related to the environment. Students perform a number of tasks related to habitat loss and wildlife populations. Among these was transformation of six acres of school property into a nature preserve. Other projects included reforestation, establishing a wildlife meadow, a freshwater marsh and hosting an annual environmental festival. Roots and Shoots is an embodiment of Jadav Payeng – budding children learning to protect our environment and serve the well-being of our eco system.  

The Assamese community in the North Eastern region of USA was fully and whole heartedly involved in the organization of the event. There were few directly involved including Kamalakshi Hazarika, Nripen Barua, Suranjoy Hazarika, Shakuntala Choudhury and Bani Bordoloi. They spent countless hours with unwavering patience and persistence, answering calls and questions, preparing brochures and other communication needs, coordinating with the participants and cultural troupes. Back home in Assam, we were ably supported by Jitu Kalita and Prasanta Bordoloi of Jorhat. We were emailing Mr. Kalita about the event regularly and to relay the information to Jadav Payeng. We have a special relation with Prashanta Kumar Bordoloi. Mr. Bordoloi is an alumnus of Water Resources Engineering Rutgers University, New Jersey and is currently working for a bio-engineering solution for containing river erosion by Brahmaputra. Satyajit Nath, a fellow alumnus of Rutgers is in touch with Bordoloi and exploring supporting his endeavor.     

On 17^th October, the township of Bridgewater marked the celebration of “Jadav Payeng Tree Planting Ceremony”. Scores of participants joined the festivity at the Chimney Rock Park on the center of the city. The audience was greeted with live music and performances with a medley of Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Punjabi Bhangra, Odissi and Manipuri dancers. Overall, there were 48 participants from different groups to show their various talents in front of the invited guests and multi-cultural gatherings. Unveiling the Plaque and the memorial tree dedication, the Mayor of Bridgewater Mr. Daniel J. Hayes, paid glowing tribute to Jadav Payeng, “It is our pleasure to honor him, raise the awareness level across the continents, and inspire others to join in this noble cause.” Mr. Hayes added “The celebration also marks Bridgewater’s achievement as recognized Tree City of USA for the 19th consecutive year and honors the community for its commitment to effective urban forest management.” Joining at the ceremony were Chris O. Poulsen, Director of Health & Human Services Bridgewater Township, Mr. Shambhu Amitabh, Vice Consulate of India, Mr. Upendra Chivukula - New Jersey commissioner of Public Utility and the first Legislator from Indian Origin to New Jersey Assembly, Somerset County Freeholders, Councilmen, Council woman, and many other dignitaries. Speaking to the audience, the distinguished guests lauded the Bridgewater Township in creating worldwide recognition and use of trees as part of the solution to global issues. In addition to the distinguished guests, the Hillside Intermediate School presented to show their environmental projects through "Roots and Shoots" program as well as Township presented their Shade Tree Program in display. “We are glad that Bridgewater Township has given us the opportunity to honor Jadav Payneg for his immense contribution to the environment. Jadav Payeng will be always remembered in this township” said Mr. Niren Choudhury in his closing remark. The function concluded with the Mayor distributing the certificate to all participants and with a boisterous Bihu, by the local Assamese ladies entertaining young and adults alike with the spirit of the Assamese folk dance.

The Jadav Payeng Memorial Tree in the Chimney Rock Park stands tall amidst the arbor and vivid blooms of autumn; it’s a season that seems to intrinsically say to us, “We all can pull together.” In retrospect, the Planting Ceremony was a path breaking event on community mobilization. Let the new generation in Assam honor and idolize our green warrior. Let's hundreds of thousands of roots & shoots creep underground everywhere and make a firm foundation. Let’s the local population get involved in the planting of trees and mobilize themselves and their neighbors for sustaining them. The future of the planet concerns all of us and all of us should do what we can to protect it. After all, we are the children of the same soil.

                                                                                                ankurbora@hotmail.com

Seeds of Change

With its charming traditions and beautiful landscape , the great river island of Majuli is one of Assam’s loveliest gems. The history and culture of Majuli is so strong that it is impossible not to fall in love with it. MAUSUMI CHETIA came to Majuli to complete her M.A. dissertation.  However , the thirst for exploring this place, breathing it’s serenity and living the company of it’s simple natured peopled never seem to be satisfied enough – the search led Ms. Chetia to a man who has been walking an exemplary path.                          

Seeds of Change                                    by  Mausumi Chetia

Shri Jadav Molai Payeng, now fifty five years, has planted a forest which has grown over 2000 hectares now, starting from a tiny sand-filled island of the Brahmaputra called Aruna chapori. This he started as a young, compassionate teenager, employed with the district forest department of Jorhat district. As years rolled by, he has been voluntarily joined in his endeavors by his spouse Bina and their three children. Voluntary is emphasized here because it forms the base of the life of an earthy individual and his small family. As Bina says,

“Only after marriage did I realize his craze for planting trees. Slowly over the years, I’ve started helping him too as I derived happiness from his. Now my brother, sister-in-law and my mother also help us in planting in new areas.”

Evidently, she’s been standing by him with her rock-solid support for around two decades of their marriage. So much so that since its nascent stage, the family decided to stay back with their sixth family member, Payeng’s forest. For logistical reasons like close distance of their children’s school, only four years back they had to move away to a human-inhabited village in a nearby char. However, their youngest son decided to stay back with his maternal uncle’s family even if it implied walking far to access his school, just so that he gets to live close by the forest. The visionary, in his lifetime has surely been able to develop compassion for his passion within his family.

Beyond awards and lectures: From a daily-wage labourer to a Social Entrepreneur

Following Shri Jitu Kalita’s accidental stint with the molai kathoni and Payeng’s first interview in 2012, the civilian award of Padma Shri was conferred to Payeng in 2015. Since then, he’s has spoken in numerous lectures and interviews, in print, in electronic as well as in the social media, both national and international. Many a documentaries have been made on him; titles like forest man, green warrior & an increasing number of awards from different corners of the world have been presented to him. This surprise focus of cameras, microphones and stages however haven’t unfazed him; from the grounded, small villager that he is.

Most of Payeng’s awards& invitations come with an honorarium as a token of appreciation for his unmoved dedication of turning vast sandbars to green covers. Adding a bit more from his pocket to that, he accumulates an adequate amount; to buy higher quality seeds like segun, gomari etc. and engage three full-time workers from nearby villages. These men are employed during april to june every year when the sowing season of fresh saplings and plants is on. Stretching farther the horizon of the green cover, these men work away quietly so that someone in some corner of the globe can breathe life many years from now. An encouraging aspect of his recently growing popularity is the frequent visits of his Indian and foreign guests. Researchers, journalists, environmental enthusiasts, students, governmental and non-governmental representatives throng his forest and home throughout the year. Since he lives in a char village, people require using small country boats to make the way through two small rivers to reach his place. Few local villagers have been happy to offer their services as boatmen for a small but unperturbed income, also playing the role of guides of the area talking proudly of the forest’s popularity and it’s creator. However, the forest cover is out of the limits for any outdoor activities like picnics, shooting etc. Payeng believes that this would scare the fauna and disturb the balanced lives of the forest and it’s neighbors. Initially the villagers would get angry at him for breeding the forest’s wildlife because of the occasional destruction of paddy crops by the elephants. However, over the years, as their access to selling the same forest’s fruits and making an extra earning has been growing, as a community they are now protective of the forest and it’s limpidness. A beautiful co-existing relationship has been nurtured among nature’s creations – humans, plants and beasts all alike.

As far as upgrading the socio-economic status of the family is concerned, both Bina and Payeng derive happiness in the small wonders of life. They are content with having fifty buffaloes and fifty cows to earn their livelihood. Grazing area of the animals is of course the molai kathoni and it’s grass serving as fodder. In Payeng’s words about the needs of his family,

“We don’t have the desire to live in a palace and own cars. We are happy to live amidst our trees and animals. We buy only salt and kerosene oil from the local shops, rest everything grows at home or in our field.. this is our life and we’re happy with the way it is”.

The Approach and Belief System:

For sharing his ideas and vision, Payeng believes in the strength of young minds. Except during the sowing months when he reduces his visits, he goes for regular lectures to schools and colleges throughout the country. Ironically enough, giant corporate companies of India have also invited him for talks on environmental issues. Fearlessly honest, Payeng does not mince his words whatever the forum might be. Be it the issue of development that minuses the socio-cultural well-being of the displaced tribal communities of Orissa, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, or the state government’s lop sided mechanisms to ‘control’ a river as fiery and mighty as the Brahmaputra, Payeng believes in firmly putting forth his opinions. India has witnessed strong voices from within the community in the past and at present. These voices like Payeng’s have been successful to a great extent in protecting the rights of the ecological system, environment and those not-so-advantaged communities which are dependent on these resources at multiple levels. The Bishnoi movement of Rajasthan(1471), the Chipko movement of Uttarakhand, the Silent valley project of Kerala, the Narmada bachao abhiyan of Madhya Pradesh are few of the prominent movements of the ’80s and ’90s; recently madhubani painting artists of Bihar took to painting trees to stop them from felling. Additionally, environmental activists like Baba Amte, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Billy Arjan Singh, Saalumarada Thimmakka, Medha Patkar, Rajendra Singh, Sunderlal Bahuguna, and numerous more have time and again demonstrated through their sheer hard work and dedication the crucial importance of nature and the essentiality of it’s protection. As Guha states, a wise, and caring government would have deepened the precocious, far-seeing efforts of our environmental scientists. But alas, this was not to be, at least with Payeng’s work till this article has been penned.

Exploiting Payeng’s Passion: Reflections for a Policy Framework

The Payeng family’s work is especially contextual given it’s geographical location. Assam falls in the seismic zone IV along with many other Northeastern states of India. According to hydrological experts, 45 percent of Assam’s total landmass is prone to flooding by the Brahmaputra. The river is found to be extremely unstable at some vulnerable locations such as Majuli. Post-1950 earthquake, the erosion level has been on a steady rise which has increased the height of the river bed causing flash floods and untimely erosion at unconventional areas as well.

Through longitudinal discussions and deliberations with few renowned Indian and European scientists, Payeng has a few concepts in mind that might prove not-so-difficult for both the state and central governments to be incorporated in their work in handling the perennial issue of floods and erosion of Assam. Porcupine barriers and making concrete embankments filled with sand shall bring no erosion or flood to a halt. Rather, plantation of coconut trees and use of mokal variety of bamboo to keep them intact can help in reducing the natural hazards. Coconut trees easily sway in strong winds (storms is a common phenomenon in Assam before and during the summers). However they don’t get uprooted as they have strong roots hence holding the soil together. Through all the navigable routes of the river, sailing of ships would help in maintaining the depth of the river bed that in future shall aid in reducing flash floods. These are simple yet practically feasible ideas. Given the enormity and plausibility of replication of his work and ideas, Payeng’s endeavours have the capacity to be incorporated at policy levels. With the coming of the Disaster Management Act of 2005 to the block level, the presence of National and Assam State Action Plans on Climate Change in 2011, the scope appears brighter than ever before.

It is only but natural that while this family is busy planting saplings in a newly identified sandbar near an inaccessible village, the appreciation of their work need to fundamentally move beyond recognitions and interviews which undoubtedly hold their own niche as well. As a people of the nation, voicing out Payeng family’s work so that the concerned lawmakers and legislators of India take notice and act upon it is bare minimum that the likes of us could do. Payeng’s vision and expert knowledge ought to be exploited for the thousands like him in his region and beyond – those faces that live in the periphery of a country’s socio-political image, dwindling between the mercy of Nature and the powers-that-be. Because while there’s only so much a person can do in his lifetime, the work shall whisper it’s musings to many more generations to come.

This article is based on a telephonic interview by the author with Shri Jadav Molai Payeng; additionally literature on disasters, environmental movements and it’s pioneers of India, articles and documentaries made on Shri Payeng have also been reviewed. The author is currently employed with a non-governmental organization based in New Delhi, India – SEEDS which works on reconstruction and rehabilitation of disaster affected and disaster communities in India and Asia.

Biju Borbaruah founder of Asha Darshan

Biju Borbaruah , founder of  Asha Darshan

                                                                                           By   Ankur Bora

“Historically our people have been persuaded to believe that because they are poor, they lack not only capital, but also knowledge and skills to address their challenges. They are conditioned to believe that solutions to their problems must come from ‘outside’. In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground- a new leadership emerges that gives hope to each other.” - Wangari Maathai.

Biju Borbaruah  illustrates the power of what one woman can do - her grassroots Asha Darshan is working quietly and without recognition at building people’s capacities and confidence. I am profoundly privileged to introduce Ms. Biju.

 I have been involved with Asha for Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to the education of underprivileged children in India and also with Assam Foundation of North America (AFNA) , a United States of America based non-profit organization with a thirty two year history of supporting underprivileged people in Assam, a north-eastern state of India, and helping with charitable work in the US. I have been an office bearer of AFNA (www.assamfoundation.net ) and also have been closely involved with Asha for Education. I first heard about Ms. Biju from a volunteer Mr.Sanjeev Ranganathan when I was attending a meeting of Asha Austin in September 2006. Sanjeev was talking at length about the dedication of Ms. Biju in working in remote areas helping children and rural women. He also introduced me to the Annual report of Asha for Education held in Lucknow, India of December 1999. The report details the work of the remarkable lady working single-handedly in a male dominated, greatly under-developed and highly insurgency-prone area. This place was neglected by the government, was almost devoid of educational facilities, healthcare, local infrastructure, law-enforcement.   Biju chose to live, work and prosper within the local community. As I completed reading the report, I made up my mind to meet and visit her on my  next trip to India. It was on 3rd January 2008, while attending an event, in a school for underprivileged children supported by AFNA, I met Ms. Biju for the first time. During my interaction, I came to know about the life story of this amazing woman who with her sheer endurance, creativity and compassion is bringing hope and purpose to the lives of scores of individuals situated in the remotest rural India.

Ms. Biju impressed everyone with her simple and straightforward answers.She was no scholar, but no less than one, for she had learnt everything from roots and practiced what scholars preached. 

Ms. Biju was born on November 12th, 1974, at Simaluguri Bahupathar village of Likhimpur district, Assam, India. In 1991 Biju completed her 10^th grade high school exam. She got herself enrolled for further study. But due to financial restraint she could not study further. From the very beginning she was confronted with issues like corruption and the injustices imbedded in the male dominated society. In this process she discovered that womenfolk and the poorest suffered the most. In 1996, she joined a social development organisation. She started visiting villages organising and participating in several training programs. Soon Ms. Biju discovered the fraudulent activities of that organization- that in the name of serving the poor, large amount of funds were siphoning off. She decided to tender her resignation immediately. “It was hard for me to take it in at first, watching injustices being perpetrated in the name of poor”, she was telling me. Her first job was truly an eye opener for her and also a stepping stone to face the real world.

In the year 1998 , Ms. Biju joined an organization named ‘Tamalpur Anchalik Gramdaan Sangh’ (TAGS), founded by late Rabindra Upadhyay, a social worker and  the recipient of Padma Shri , India's fourth highest civilian honour. Ms. Biju started working with women of the area who did not have any source of income. She tackled this problem by creating Self-Help Groups (SHG) for income generation. Her vision was to start Schools along with SHG followed by Women's Cooperative Bank where women will be able to invest their savings   to expand their earnings. “My goal was to develop a citizen education program, during which people identify their problems, the causes and possible solutions.”  Biju was explaining to me, “My endeavor was - the participants discover that they are part of the solutions, that they realize their hidden potential and are empowered to overcome inertia and take action.”  

However, her endeavor was met with stiff test. The region is  home to many disadvantaged masses that are in constant struggle of finding survival methods and in many cases are required to travel to the Indo-Bhutan border in search of odd jobs for sustenance. Adverse political situation resulting in frequent insurgency activities and continuing violence compounded the hardships. During that period, the area was rift with unrest. Extortion, kidnapping and killing by the militants was part of the daily routine, no government official wanted to work in that region. The villagers were apprehensive, while some of them suspected Ms. Biju to be working with the police. Once she was ordered to meet the villagers. In presence of a large gathering she had to clarify their doubts and explain to them about her idea of SHG. Slowly there came a change in their attitude and Biju gained their trust.  They started to join her programme and began to support her work. It was a turning point for her, Biju and her team set themselves in right earnest

Ms. Biju made the local communities understand that while it is necessary to hold their governments accountable, it is equally important that in their own relationships with each other. They come to recognize that they are the primary custodians and beneficiaries of the environment that sustains them. It was during this time Biju came up with the idea that there should be a separate Trust to work in the area of education, women and child development. With this aim in mind on May 14, 2002 Biju got the Trust named Asha Darshan registered. Asha Darsan started work in 2001 itself by running Balwadis (Pre School and child care centres). New staff were recruited and appointed to look after the additional work and to support the villagers. The new staff trained women in maintaining records and keeping accounts. Under the guidance of the Mahila Shanti Sena, training was imparted on pig and duck rearing, making incense sticks, etc. Exposure visits to other places were also organised for the women. It is remarkable that Biju’s powerbase is “manned” by women. As of year 2014, Asha Darshan currently runs 11 schools with 40 teachers with around 1400 students enrolled this year. Currently there are 473 Self Help Groups with 10 to 20 women joining hands in each group. Asha Darshan effectively monitors the functioning of these groups and Women are trained in bookkeeping, responsible saving, and microcredit schemes. 

In November 2003 the political situation changed drastically. Due to ethnic conflict between the local population and those who were from outside Assam social unrest erupted in different places in Assam and the situation became volatile. The newspapers started reporting cases of assault, arson etc. To counter this situation Ms. Biju organized peace rallies in different villages. Her slogan was, “we are all brothers, give up violence, participate in creative development” After the rallies her support base increased. It is remarkable that in such an unfavourable and hostile social environment a single woman chose to translate her dream into reality thereby sharing her dreams with dozens of other helpless women and pulling them along with her towards a better life.

I met Ms. Biju several times on my visits to India with my recent in January 2014 in Assam. Biju possess qualities that not only appear on balance sheets but also do make a significant impact on the lives of people and communities. She told me about the unbridled deforestation which is creating a crisis of identity for the simple and often insulated ethnic tribal population. “These people are dependent on land for sustenance and I am, through our Self Help Groups, raising awareness about the importance of natural resource management”. Biju was showing me the beautiful hand woven products from the weaving center. In order to give practical training and make the students (especially the girl students) self -reliant with skills and experience necessary for their future family life, she introduced sewing and embroidery classes At present the training of these activities take place in the office building of Asha Darshan.

I have continuously been in touch with Ms. Biju either through telephone or email. On 13^th April , this month, a volunteer of AFNA Ms. Karobi Gogoi, visited the organization and provided a visit report- “Asha Darshan promotes livelihood programme by facilitating livelihood-related activities like weaving, tailoring, poultry, piggery while providing training in making of soft toys, jewellery, pickle, detergent, table-cloth, door-mat etc. Besides these, improvised weaving looms for the differently-abled has also been carved out, improved techniques and technologies have been introduced in some of these activities to reduce drudgery, to enhance quality and productivity thereby augmenting the income of the people. To preserve and conserve the rich biodiversity of the region, they are planting fruit-bearing trees since the area is conducive for plantation. Biju’s constant supervision, her strong grit and determination, her dedication and devotion to serve the downtrodden and marginalized sections of the society is evident in all the schools and centers.”

reference letter Gandhian Natwar Thakkar

One of the remarkable achievements of Ms. Biju is putting corruption under the spotlight so that society and policy makers can engage in dialogue and develop solutions. Against the ever present corruption her organization is raising its voice; the empowerment of local communities will allow them to have a greater influence on the future aid projects, making them active citizens of aid and not just passive subjects of aid. Ms Biju has come a long way, since her maiden attempt in year 1996.  Her courage and tenacity are worth emulating. Women can play an important role to promote peace and contribute to conflict resolution. There is the need for a serious awareness creating/sensitization program to let the world know that peace building and conflict resolution is a duty for all. Door to door, neighbour to neighbour approach will yield a much desired goal of women participation in peace and conflict resolution. The endeavors of Asha Darshan were continually directed at building people’s capacities and confidence, and the courage and motivation to fight injustice. It is estimated that more than fifteen thousand people are involved in this programme, running under the able guidance of Biju. Biju Borbaruah  and her team may be our best hope and let’s pray for their success.  

Contact details of Biju Borbaruah :

Asha Darshan Tamulpur, District, Baksha, Assam, India

Pin- 781367

Mobile: +91-94351-98562

email:  bijuassam@rediffmail.com  

You Tube Video

Bhal Manuh - Biju Borbarua by Prodyut Bora

Further References

From Wahid Saleh                                                    
Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Awardee Pravasi Bharatiya SammanAwardee Pravasi Community Service
Awardee Global Visionary Award

                       Biju Borbaruah, the remarkable lady from Tamulpur, Assam

It is an honour and a privilege to write about Biju Borbaruah, the unique Gandhian of

Tampulpur, Assam. It was in the Annual report of Asha for Education held in Lucknow in

December 1999 where I for the first time came across the name Ms. Biju Borbarua, the

remarkable lady who working single-handedly in a male dominated, greatly underdeveloped

and highly insurgency-prone area neglected by the government almost devoid of

educational facilities, healthcare, local infrastructure law-enforcement etc. decided to bring

socio-economic change in Tamulpur region of Baksa district, along the Indo-Bhutan border

of Assam, India. Biju chose to live, work and prosper within the local community.

It is estimated that More than 15 thousand people in whole are involved in their programme that is running under the guidance of Biju Borbarua. It is quite a remarkable achievement

taking into consideration that it taking place in one of the underdeveloped rural areas of India.

Chrysantenhof 33

2651 XJ Lansingerland

The Netherlands

Tel: 010 - 511 4400

E-mail: w.saleh@indiawijzer.nl 

friendsofindia.nl@gmail.com

Web: www.indiawijzer.nl

champion of the earth

Jadav  Payeng, champion of the earth

                                                                           By Ankur Bora

Our planet is overwhelmed by the careless, corrupt leadership, there is barely any time left for them to look around and feel the pain and suffering of the planet earth; while the general public, engrossed in the daily routine of balancing work and life, are hardly mindful of the increasingly stark environmental degradation. There are, however, a few amongst us who had felt the impassioned call to heal the wounds of our planet, who had the audacity to work single-handedly, eventually showing that small steps can build into something greater. Thirty six years ago , Jadev Payeng began planting trees in a barren sandbar; for the next three decades Payeng, almost obsessively, continued to expand the forest, working day and night, without support or subsidies, without fear or favor, without any help from society and Forest Department. With inordinate courage and determination, Jadav transformed the barren land into a dense forest of several thousand trees. Today the land is an oasis for large varieties of birds, deer and other animals including Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceros and herd of elephants. It’s heartening to know about individuals like Jadav who hazarded to be the change they want to see in the world. It’s because of them that the world is a better and more meaningful place for all of us.

    I came to know about Mr. Jadav when I came across an article by Manimugdha Sharma published on Apr 1, 2012 in Times of India, a renowned Newspaper in India. I have been involved with a few philanthropic organizations here in USA working and contributing to my people back in India including Asha for education and Assam Foundation of North.  I always look for positive uplifting news of individuals from my home country if we can promote his/her work through our foundation. The article caught my attention and I received further communication from Manimugdha – “I consider myself very lucky that I was the first to reach him and tell his story to the world through Times of India. Jadav himself perhaps didn't know the importance of his work so he was a tad surprised when I found him out and told him that I was going to write about him. I could sense in that first meeting that he would become a media darling once the world knew about him, for he was unassuming, very grounded, and very clueless about the superhuman feat he had accomplished—no human had ever planted a 550-hectare forest all by himself! He had also single-handedly proved what scientists and scholars keep writing and talking about—afforestation can convert even a barren sandbar into a paradise and stop soil erosion.”

Jadav Payeng was honored at a public function arranged by the School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on 22 April 2012 for his remarkable achievement. Jadav shared his experience of creating a forest in an interactive session, where Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh and JNU vice-chancellor Sudhir Kumar Sopory were present. Sopory named Jadav Payeng as "Forest Man of India"

    I have been communicating with Prefessor Sudhir Kumar Sopory who describes Mr. Jadav credentials in glowing terms – “It was very interesting to hear him speak about his experiences and how he converted a barren Island into a forest through his sheer commitment and dedication.  I personally met him also and found that his commitment to the cause of forestation and environment is absolute.  Persons like Jadav Payeng can be a source of great inspiration to younger generation and in fact our students who attended that function were very appreciative of his efforts."

I came into contact with Jadav recently when our non-profit foundation AFNA began deliberating a project proposal for Majuli , the largest river island in the Indian subcontinent. I came to know that the rapidly increasing erosion over the last 100 years has reduced the land mass of Majuli Island to less than half. In midst of such a dire situation, Jadav’s work gave me more than a little hope. I thought, if one man can do this singlehanded, with no financial backing, by simply planting  the seeds of trees, what people around the world can do with time, tenacity and passion?

I have spent time over the past several weeks talking with Mr. Jadav , he impresses me every time with his simple and straightforward answers. . He is no scholar, but no less than one, for he had learnt everything from nature and practiced what scholars preached.  “The education system should be like this, every kid should be asked to plant two trees,” He was telling me.  I simply asked him “Why trees?” My simple question met with profound responses as Jadav replied, “My village elders used to tell me that with decline in forest cover and deforestation, animals lose their homes. There is no more firewood, there is no more clean drinking water, and there are no more fruits. The more I listened to those issues, the more I connected them to trees.” Jadev Payeng is alluding to a holistic approach for the conservation of nature. As the trees grow they bring hope, they bequeath self-confidence and as they restore the indigenous forests, they transform the land. Once the landscape is transformed birds and animals come back, flowers and fruits grow in abundance; and suddenly there is a good feeling in the community.

    Way back in 1979, when Jadav was sixteen years old, a devastating flood hit his land and washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. The day after the waters had receded, Jadav visited the sandbar and was shaken – the land was scattered with lifeless reptiles. It disturbed him tremendously –“Animals can’t speak for themselves – but I knew from my hurt that they died in the heat without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms.”  It was a turning point in the life of Jadav Payeng, the heart-wrenching experience paved the way for something bigger, greater and more beautiful to come. Leaving his education and home, he began living on the sandbar. For the next three decades, each and every day, he would plant the seeds by hand, water the plants morning and evening, prune the branches and nourish the roots. When sometimes, he was so absorbed working in the sandbar that he didn’t notice the end of the day until it got so dark that he could no longer differentiate between weeds and seedling.

    Jadav  Payeng quietly continued planting trees on Majuli for thirty  years until he was discovered by nature photographer Jitu Kalita in 2009. Mr. Jitu wrote an article in a local newspaper and the news caught the attention of Canadian filmmaker William Douglas McMaster. In the year 2012 , Mr. William and his small team arrived in India. Staying close to a month, the team documented the everyday life of Jadav at the river island. McMaster collected his footage and made an 18-minute short film in 2013 titled “Forest Man.” The film went to win the best documentary at The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes. In an email communication, Mr. William wrote to me – “Working with Jitu and Jadav Payeng was incredible and I miss them very much. When I first saw the forest, I didn’t believe what I was seeing was real, it was incredible. The forest itself is a beautiful expression of the positive effect humanity can have on nature. I hope that the forest continues to grow for future generations”. William added “His way of life is extremely pure, He doesn't even wear shoes; free of possessions, yet he is extremely happy and positive. Jadav Payeng taught me that you can accomplish a lot with very little.”

    What distinguishes Jadav  Payeng from others i.e. Government agencies  is that while these agencies are merely planting trees , Mr. Jadav  is building an ecosystems. There is a world of difference between just planting trees and restoring entire ecosystems. The former exists for one purpose- harvesting of trees. Ecosystems, on the other hand, are communities. They include microbes, fungi, animals small and big, and many different types of vegetation, all interacting together and with their environment i.e. soil, water and air. From the very beginning, the driving goal of Jadav  Payeng is the restoration  of the local ecosystem. When he was planting trees in the sandbar, Jadav used to transport red ants from his village. He knew that they alter the flow of energy, nutrients and water of the soil and as such good for the growth of the plants. Ecosystems work because the existence of one species enables other species to thrive. In the year 2008, the first-ever herd of elephants arrived in his forest. Jadav was telling me how he stood and watched from a distance and realized the magnitude of what he had done. While the others watched on, baffled, he was overcome with joy. And he had every reason to be – he has succeeded in bringing life back to the island. “Man is responsible for the well-being of all animals and birds in this world.” Jadav was explaining to me - “If man does not take care of all animals, who will?”

    The central to success of Jadav Payeng is his understanding of the local biodiversity. He is able to create a balance in the environment, thereby ensuring a long-term viability and sustainability of the area restored. Today, his forest has astounding diversity of wildlife - including birds, deer, apes, rhino, elephants and even tigers.

My sincere hope is that “The forest man of India” grew from a tree planting program into one that planted ideas as well. In the beginning of this write-up, there is a reference to river island Majuli. The island, home to some 150,000 people, is on the verge of extinction due to the heavy floods of the river Brahmaputra which passes through it. While the Union Government of India is struggling to solve the erosion problem of this island for the last three decade without much success, Jadav  Payeng has been credited with significantly fortifying part of Majuli. Why not replicate his initiative to the entire island. His approach is -work with nature instead of against it. The solution offered by Mother Nature is simple to implement, less expensive and much more effective than high-tech solutions. It is the planting  of trees, plants and grasses having strong roots which can withstand wind ,salt and retain the soil thereby preventing erosion.  The eco-friendly low-cost way of erosion control is successfully implemented in different parts of the world for embankment protection and erosion control.

    What Jadav has done is to show that a single person can make a measurable, positive impact on the environment. Rather than sitting idly by, waiting for strong river waters to destroy his home and push his family inland, Jadav Payeng planted trees. Today, scores of students , volunteers and environmental activities are joining hands driven by Payeng's single-handed quest and missionary zeal. Mr. Binoy K. Bordoloi , President of  Bordoloi Biotech, United States recently visited Jadav Payeng and met a number of national and international students from South Korea  Japan and France.

If one man can do this singlehanded, with no financial backing, by simply planting the seeds of trees, what people around the world can do with time, tenacity and passion? While nominating Jadav  Paying  for Champions of the Earth 2015 , We sincerely hope that a new generation and a green movement will emerge, standing up for the environment and ushering a new era of environmental education, capacity building and advocacy for the Mother Earth.