Pandit Punyadhar Jha - ONE MAN ARMY
Pandit Punyadhar Jha, now over 80 years of age, believes in the proverb: one tree is equal to 10 sons. He has planted more than one hundred and fifty trees every year and has been doing this for the last 66 years relentlessly!
Using traditional methods, Jha has planted trees alongside roads, on office compounds and public places. He claims to owe his knowledge about trees to some of the oldest books of this subcontinent the 'Agnipuranas'. The scriptures say that sesame seeds should be sown at the site where a tree is to be planted and after the seeds have germinated, the land should be ploughed properly and then the tree should be planted there to increase its survival chances.
When Jha started his tree plantation drive, the villagers were unaware of the importance of trees and environment. Jha had read about how trees helped to make rain, prevent soil erosion and keep the air clean. Along with his plantation drive, he took the responsibility of creating awareness among the villagers about his initiatives.
In the beginning he approached several government departments but none of them responded. One day he saw a village trader sitting under the scorching sun, that day he decided to start his endeavour all by himself. Since then he has never looked back.
Age has not yet overtaken Jha. Along with his plantation drive, now he plans to motivate the villagers to clean a big pond believed to be centuries-old. Jha feels that the pond, which is covered with weeds, might serve as a structure for rainwater harvesting. The weeds could also be utilised as bio-fertilisers.
Pandit Punyadhar Jha has dedicated his entire life to a cause which will help future generations breathe fresh air. One Punyadhar Jha has planted over 10,000 trees in his life, if each one us try to follow his footsteps and plant even one-tenth of his achievement in our entire lifetime, the world would surely become a far better place to live in.
Though, Pandit Punyadhar Jha, lives in the Andhra Tharhi village in Madhubani district of Bihar, he doesn't confine his work only to Madhubani but spreads out to Darbhanga, Begusarai and Sitamarhi districts, and also Sakreshwari in Nepal.