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.