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Jadav Payeng: The Forest Man of India’s Remarkable Journey
Majuli, the largest river island in Asia, showcases a diverse array of flora and fauna, eager to share its enchanting stories with those who take a moment to listen. As you stroll along its serene paths, a deep sense of calm envelops you, buoyed by the soft whispers of the breeze. Through the sweltering summer heat and the heavy rains of the monsoon, the mighty Brahmaputra flows steadily around this picturesque island, cradling it in its timeless hold.
But it's the play directed by nature where a climax is necessary. In 1979, a massive and devastating flood affected Majuli, transforming a considerable island area into a wasteland. The trees were uprooted, all the flowers withered, and all animals lost their life, it just took a blink of an eye for heaven to transform into a death ground.
A 16-year-old boy hailing from a poor Mishing family of the Majuli was one of the many spectators to this devastation. While the children of his age were busy playing with toys, a very provocative argument came to the mind of this little boy:
"Today the snakes, animals, and giant trees are dead due to the rising heat. Tomorrow, the same may happen to man."
This young man was Jadav Payeng who is regarded as the forest man of Assam as he single-handedly planted a 1360-acre forest in Majuli and revived it.
AN EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY BEGINS
Rabindranath Tagore once said "If nobody responds to your call for a noble cause, you walk alone" and Jadav Payeng's journey is best suited for this quote.
After the flood of 1979, everything became a deserted sandbar. While passing through the bank of the Brahmaputra river he saw that many snakes and other water creatures had died on the deserted island. Snakes and other reptiles could not bear the severe heat of the sun and died. This scene made Jadav very upset and a thought erupted in his mind that one day his family might also meet the same fate.
In the quest for a solution to this problem, Jadav visited a Deori community, 5 km from his place. He talked to the elderly of the community and tried to extract some indigenous knowledge in this regard. They suggested he start growing Uska Grass(bamboo) on the sandbar.
As a teenager, Jadav realised that the only way to protect and revive the island of Majuli and heal its past wounds was by planting trees. He lived at the residence of Anil Borthakur, a renowned court master of Jorhat. Staying at the house of such a knowledgeable man played an immense role in shaping Mr. Payeng's intellect. During his stay, he came across Dr. Jadabesh Barua, an eminent agricultural scientist of Upper Assam. His teachings influenced Payeng's tender mind. Mr. Barua taught that planting a tree wasn't enough but it is equally important to foster its growth and record its names and details. A motivated Payeng himself developed a blueprint in his mind to revive his homeland and his methodology was reforestation. However, this was a large-scale project requiring a lot of funding and manpower. Moreover, who would listen to a 16-year-old boy? However, Jadav Payeng was destined to bring a revolution even if he had to work all alone.
A BOLD DECISION TO SAVE MOTHER NATURE
In 1979, Jadav Payeng made a bold decision and quit school at an early age because he wanted to dedicate his time to a noble cause. With no financial assistance and no mental or tangible support, he began planting Bamboo saplings on the sandbars. He set a daily goal of planting 100 saplings per day and dedicated 5 hours each day to this work. Coming from a modest financial background, Payeng had to sell cow's milk in the market to purchase saplings. He worked tirelessly, doing it all alone.
This extraordinary man used to travel 3 km to fetch water for the saplings. Gradually he also started planting trees of other varieties such as Mango, Jackfruit, Jamun, etc. As the trees grew and gave rise to fruits, it became easy for him to access the seeds for further propagation. Years of pure perseverance and consistent hard work resulted in unimaginable success. After three decades, the area was transformed into a green lustrous forest with a land coverage of 1360 acres.
Mr. Payeng not only revived the forest but also gave a new life to it. The real success of his endeavours was felt when many endangered species of tigers, elephants, migratory birds, snakes and wild boars started inhabiting this forest as they found a new home for themselves, a safe place where no man would come to harm them.
Captivated by the serene beauty and extraordinary success of the forest, the locals named the forest, Molai Forest after the nickname of Jadav Payeng i.e. Mola(Assamese word for a radish). Today the Molai Forest is a safe home to around 115 elephants and it's still counting.
Mr. Payeng has no formal degrees or post-doctorates but the botanical knowledge he stands with is unparalleled. He knows every intricate detail of every plant and treats them like his own sons and daughters.
Jadav says:
"Just like we speak the trees also speak through the leaves. They converse with the wind. They sense the moisture in the wind and stop the clouds to rain on them."
In 2012, Jadav Payeng was honoured with the title of Forest Man of India. In the past few years, he has been recognised and awarded by many international and national institutes. But not the slightest trace of ego has contaminated his personality. He is still the same modest, humble and down-to-earth man who loves to spend his time with nature and is still working on a vision of expanding the Molai Forest further to 5000 acres.
A PEACEFUL LIFESTYLE FILLED WITH SELF-SATISFACTION
It is said that the Mishing community buys only three items from the market: matchbox, salt and kerosene oil and procures the rest of their needs from the forest itself.
Even after marriage, Jadav lives with his wife and three children in a small Sangghar (traditional Mishing hut) built in this forest. They live a simple and happy life and selling cow's milk is their only source of income.
His routine remains the same, he wakes up at dawn, eats the breakfast prepared by his wife and packs the saplings for the day, and the man is off on his boat to plant new trees and build a heaven on earth. His lifestyle and principles truly make him the most eligible name to be entitled to 'The Forest Man of India'
