For 40 years, he worked miracles for mankind. Even the president made him a prince.

01

That year

Jadav Payeng is 16 years old

He lives on the island of Maguri, the most desolate place in India.

The climate there is hot, dry and little rain.

The cracked earth is like the surface of Mars

However, every year during the monsoon season

The rising river will engulf the island again.

Until

Once Payeng saw a strange sight.

At the same time, he also felt very sad about it.

Because of the monsoon.

Hundreds of snakes were washed up on the island by the river.

But because there is no vegetation on the island,

All these snakes were killed by the sun alive.

The young Payeng looked at the scene.

But powerless.

His heart was filled with grief and indignation

Then he went to the Forestry Bureau to question.

But the staff there

But didn't care about it.

"the sandbar can't grow anything alive.

There's nothing we can do. "

Payeng knows in his heart

This is passing the buck.

Then he ran up to his elders and asked

"will we die like these snakes one day?"

The elders smiled and said

"Don't be silly, son, it won't."

But in the meantime,

They still gave Payeng 20 bamboos.

Let him try to plant it himself.

After getting the bamboo

Payeng immediately began to prepare.

But at the very beginning, he encountered a problem.

Dry land is not easy to grow at all

It took him a lot of effort to plant bamboo.

Next, he didn't even dare to run away every day.

Come to take care of the bamboo every day

Water and fertilize them.

So, under his meticulous care,

A small bamboo forest was born.

Although his efforts are beginning to bear fruit

But Payeng is still not happy.

In the face of the consequences that mankind has planted over the past few decades

This area is affected by floods and soil erosion.

It has caused 1.66 million hectares of affected area.

Want to make it back completely.

It will be a long and arduous road.

In Payeng's heart

He wants to restore his hometown very much.

He once put forward a lot of suggestions to the government and villagers.

But almost no one is interested in it.

But watching the destruction of my hometown step by step

Payeng also felt restless.

If no one wants to come,

Then I'll do it alone.

From a seed

A small tree begins

02

In the summer of 1979

The young man started his own plan.

He sows seeds on the dry land every day.

At first it was bamboo.

Later, other trees were gradually introduced.

That's for sure

Payeng didn't forget to bring back some insects.

He said, "ants and earthworms are good helpers.

They can enrich the soil. "

However, gradually

The more trees you plant

The more difficulties we will face.

The first problem is irrigation.

There is not only little water, but also a wide range of places.

It is difficult to irrigate all the saplings on your own.

Payeng thought about it for a long time.

Until one day, when he saw the bamboo forest,

An idea came out of my mind.

Why not use bamboo to make a water diversion system

As long as you make a bamboo track between each seedling

Connect

Let the water go along the track

It can slowly flow to the saplings.

To take care of the woods.

Payeng also gave up a lot.

He gave up his original life as a farmer

Also gave up the home where he used to be comfortable.

A family of five followed him to settle in the forest.

On weekdays

To make a living

He can only live by selling milk.

And use the only income you have.

To buy a lot of saplings

So over and over again

Payeng works without complaining.

Looking forward to one's own work

Can turn this place into shade again.

03

Forty years, fleeting.

Payeng has changed from a teenager to an uncle.

When everyone sighs that time flies.

The uncle spent his own time

Created a miracle.

550 hectares of dry sandy land

Turned into a miracle of life in the twinkling of an eye.

There are more than 100 kinds of trees in it.

Including Phoenix tree, crape myrtle, kapok and so on.

There are also large areas of bamboo and grass.

The animals that have disappeared have returned to their homes.

For example, three months a year

115 elephants will live here.

Vultures after 46 years

And came back here again.

Next

Payeng also saw rabbits, deer and rhinos.

Even tigers began to appear in the forest.

It has become a paradise for wildlife again.

Payeng was delighted.

And start to worry again.

Because the emergence of a large number of animals

Damaged the houses and livestock of the surrounding villagers.

They began to ask Payeng to reduce the forest area.

Others suggested that the trees he planted should be cut down.

To this

Payeng said

"if you want to cut down my tree, cut me down first."

But

He can't turn a blind eye to the villagers' demands.

Payeng thought about it.

Why not plant more banana trees in the forest

It can attract animals in the forest.

To prevent them from going out to make trouble.

That's all

Payeng has always been on his own.

Silently protecting forests and animals

Until 2008.

The appearance of 115 elephants

Let the forestry officials find out.

The existence of this forest

What follows

It is Payeng who has won a lot of honors.

His story was also spread.

2012

The vice president of Jawaharlal Nehru University in India called him

The son of the Forest of India

2013

He was recognized by the Indian Institute of Forest Management.

2015

He was awarded the Lotus Medal.

The forest is also named after his nickname Molai

However, for Payeng, these honors

It's not worth mentioning.

Because people only care about his story.

But ignored his environmental advice.

Even he began to worry more.

No one knew before.

He can still take care of the forest alone.

Nowadays, there are so many animals in the forest.

If there are poachers,

A person's ability is also very limited.

He said, "after the trees are big and the forests are dense,

The biggest threat is human beings.

In order to grow cash crops, people cut down the woods

And then the animals get hurt.

Even tigers and elephants

Can't escape the bad luck.

There are no monsters in nature.

Except for humans.

Humans will use up everything.

Until there is nothing. "

Payeng hopes that with the help of the government

So that this forest and the animals here can be protected.

So he can move out with peace of mind.

To create a second forest.

"I will continue to plant trees

Until the last moment of my life. "

In a person's life

How many 40 years can you have?

Look back and stare

40 years of Payeng

With one's own persistence

Reclaim a garden of life that is more beautiful than heaven.

As the saying goes

The strong save themselves, the saints go from one person to another

The world is so big.

There's always someone on this planet.

Give everything in silence

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