The man who grew a forest!

This is the story of a man from India who defied the world! This is the story of  Jadav "Molai" Payeng, from Jorhat, Assam, North-eastern India.

1979 floods struck North-eastern India's Assam. However when the flood receded the large number of snakes that were washed on to the sandbar by the flood were stranded. The heat finally got to the stranded snakes! Jadav barely 16 then upon seeing the carnage, sat down and wept over lifeless forms of those reptiles.

However for Jadav the story did not end there. He soon realized that the helpless snakes were victim of the missing tree / plant cover as they could not seek refuge in shade to escape heat.  He went on to alert the forest officials. He asked them if they could grow trees over the sandbar. He was told that nothing could grow on that sandbar and asked him if he could try and grow bamboo over there.

Guess what! He did! He did it alone! 

In his own words "It was painful, there was no one to help me, no one was interested." 

He left his home, his education and decided to live on the sandbar. He would plant bamboo, prune them, water them all by himself. Soon he the sandbar transformed into bamboo thicket. As his understanding of environment and nature grew, he started planting many other trees and plants. He noticed red ants change the property of soil in his village. He transported the red ants from his village to the sandbar. He was stung by the red ants many times!

He chose a life of isolation in order to live his dream of changing the ecology of sandbar. 

He now lives in a dense forest that is fondly called "Molai Kothani" (Molai's woods). The 550 hectare forest created by Jadav now attracts many endangered species such as Royal Bengal Tiger, One-horned Rhinoceros. After 12 years vultures were spotted there and many migratory birds have started visiting the place.

 

The Assam state forest department learnt about Payeng's forest only in 2008 when a herd of some 100 wild elephants strayed into it after a marauding spree in villages nearby. They also destroyed Jadav Payeng's hutment . 

With the huts being destroyed by the elephants, life became tough for Jadav and his love for his forest was to be tested once again. The angry villagers wanted to cut down the forest. Jadav stood up for his love, his forest and dared the angry villagers to kill him instead but let the forest live!

Jadav Payeng is now 47 years old and he has been with his forest for 30years now.

It was not an easy ride... It was a journey of passion and energy, a journey of unquenchable thirst and the journey of unbeatable determination... It was the journey of Jadav "Molai" Payeng!