Jadav Payeng & the Story of Mishing Forest

In the year 1979, the young Jadhav Payeng after his 10^th class exams, came back to his village and was strolling on the swiped out banks of the river Brahmaputra. He was taken aback to see more than 100 dead snakes lying on the banks.

Moving ahead, he realized that the entire bank seems to have been converted into a crematorium of dead reptiles and animals. He felt very sad and was deeply moved by this sight. This left him sleepless for several nights. His village elders told him that due to the decline in forest cover and deforestation, animals lost their homes. Young Payeng was absolutely convinced by their talks.

The very next day, the 16-year-old Jadhav, himself decided to plant few trees, and planted 50 seeds and 25 bamboo saplings. More than 35 years later, today the then washed away barren land host 1360 acres of lush green forest without any government aid or support. Read More

UNIQUE RAKSHABANDHAN GIFT

A big team of officials in the Harda district administration in Madhya Pradesh is at something wonderful. These officials are waging a “mala yuddham” (war on human refuse). They honour anyone who gifts a toilet to his sister on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan festival with the title ‘Number One Brother’.  See what a dimension the concept of Raksha Bandhan has assumed! Source :  (Mann Ki Baat, July 26, 2015).

RAMAIAH’S MISSION FOR ONE CRORE TREES 

Ramaiah – He planted 1 crore trees

Ramaiah’s daughter came back from school with headache one day. The school had no trees and so no shade for children to play. The hot sun had caused her headache. Then and there, Ramaiah resolved to plant one crore (yes,1 followed by 7 zeros) trees in his lifetime. In right earnest, he set out on his bicycle loaded with bags full of saplings. He went to each and every school in his Kammam district, Andhra Pradesh, Bharat. He related the value of each sapling to the school kids and exhorted them to take personal interest in planting, watering and guarding it. They responded in a big way. Soon the number of trees planted by Ramaiah’s unsparing efforts swelled into lakhs. The district authorities took note, and he was co-opted into the government body monitoring afforestation in the area.

India Today Article

Coverage in “The Hindu”

CELEBRATING BHOGI DIFFERENTLY

This is the name of a mid January Hindu festival observed in the northern districts of Tamilnadu & Andhra Pradesh, Bharat. It falls on the day prior to the Makara Sankranti (Pongal festival). On Bogi day, people heap old and useless household articles on the public throughfare and burn them. This acts as a preparation to welcome a cleaner dawn on Sankranti. This tradition went astray. Old tyres came to be burnt  replacing harmless organic waste. Pollution resulted. While motivated groups, using an ever-ready media, kept flooding Hindu society with their harangues on ecology, there was at least one concerned individual: Shri. K.Narayana Rao, a staunch Hindu activist, bent upon putting an end to harmful fumes on Bogi day as well as the indirect attempt to chuck out a healthy tradition. Accordingly, he organized Bogi at the school of which he is Secretary. On this year’s Bogi, the school, Sita Devi Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya, East Tambaram, on the outskirts of Chennai Metro, set a novel but noble convention. Each one of the children, parents and teachers picked a dry leaf of ARASU (pipal) tree and on that they scribbled an evil trait they wish to destroy. Coming in queue, each consigned the leaf to the fire in the Homa Kundam arranged for the occasion inside the school premises. Based on a report in the children’s supplement of Tamil daily DINAMANI, on 22nd February, 2003.

NOVEL WAY OF PONGAL CELEBRATIONS

– Dharmapuri, (VSK) — Jan 2008

RSS Swayamsevaks of Kurinjipuram village in Dharmapuri district (Tamilnadu) celebrated the Makar Sankranti (Pongal) this year in a novel way. They gathered the youngsters of the village and explained to them the harm done to human beings and the cattle by plastic bags and other wastes. It was rightly understood by the villagers and they immediately swung into action. With the guidance and support of RSS Swayamsevaks numbering 21, the entire village was completly rid of plastic waste. The celebration of Sankranthi thus got tuned to a neighbourhood cause. A couple of villages nearby quickly followed the example and became plastic-free.