American students are learning from the ‘Forest Man of India’
We are all aware of Spiderman and Superman, but have you ever heard of a Forest Man? Unlike the comic book heroes, Forest Man is a real-life hero who lives in India. Jadav Molai Payeng, an environmental activist and forestry worker from Majuli, Guwahati, Assam, goes by the name the ‘Forest Man of India’.
The inspiring story of Jadav becoming an Environmental Activist
When Jadav was only 16, he witnessed many snakes that had died due to excessive heat after floods washed them onto the tree-less sandbar. That is when he decided to do something about it, not just to protect the snakes but all forest animals, many of whom had lost their lives in the floods.
As a concerned teenager, he spoke with the elderly people in his family and village and concluded that the decline in forest cover and deforestation were the reasons the animals had lost their homes. He decided to take the matter into his hands and to do everything in his power to give the animals their home back.
After this awakening, Jadav started his tree planting journey back in 1979 with just 20 bamboo seedlings. But that was just the beginning!
It was at that time when the social forestry division of Golaghat district launched a scheme of tree plantation on 200 hectares of land at Aruna Chapori. Jadav was one of the on-field labourers for the said project. After the completion of the project, all other workers left but Jadav stayed back. He not only looked after the plants but continued to plant more trees on his own, to transform the area into a forest.
Today after almost 40 years, that area located near Kokilamukh of Jorhat, Assam, India encompasses a lush green forest for about 1,360 acres / 550 hectares. Given the invincible efforts of Jadav, the forest is named after him as ‘Molai Forest’.
The forest now houses Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceros, and over 100 deer and rabbits. It is also home to monkeys and several varieties of birds, including a large number of vultures.
For his astounding contribution, in the year 2015, Jadav was honoured with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.
American students are learning from Jadav and his story – How?
The story of Jadav Payeng from Assam has grabbed the attention of the educationalists in the United States. They were so moved that the story is a part of the school syllabus of a leading school in the United States. A chapter dedicated to Jadav has been included in the curriculum of the Class-VI students of the Greene Hills School in Bristol Connecticut as a part of their 'Ecology and Environmental Science' class.
The objective behind doing so is two-fold: one is to bring awareness from a young age about the ecological problems that follow due to massive deforestation taking place across the world as well as to set an example before the future generations of the country about how a single person can make a huge positive impact if he or she has the right attitude and determination towards a given cause.
In fact, documentaries demonstrating his course of life are being shown to the students.
In an interview, Navami Sharma, a teacher of the school mentioned, “The students are studying about Padma Shri Jadav Payeng as a part of their ecology lesson. The primary reason was to inspire and encourage future generations of the country on how a single person can make a huge positive impact in the world if he or she has the right attitude and determination.”
Ms. Sharma said that the students in the school watched two documentaries on Jadav as part of their curriculum. “It was an extremely proud moment for me too as I see Jadav’s contributions being recognised globally.” Some other schools in Bristol also taught Jadav’s story, she added.
Seeing this news taking rounds on all major platforms, Sarbananda Sonowal, the Chief Minister of Assam took it to Twitter hailing Jadav for his exemplary and tireless contribution to the green mission.
When approached by media persons, Jadav said that he was unaware of the development. But he is very happy to know that students in the US will be studying his work.
India and Jadav
At the outset, it is quite heartbreaking to see that the efforts of an Indian are recognized by the educationalists of the world but there is no mention of such a person in the curriculum of students in India.
There are so many stories like that of Jadav that goes unnoticed. While Indian students are aware of Greta Thunderberg, which is vital, they must also be taught about a common Indian who rose to fame of being the ‘Forest Man of India’ because of his small act of compassion and kindness towards the environment.
