SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 5: Raksha Bandhan is a pious festival of brothers and sisters. Sisters, on the occasion, tie Rakhi to the hands of their brothers to seek protection in life.
But in Jharkhand, a thread of Rakhi has made a mass movement in forest villages where people tie Rakhi on trees to protect the environment. This mass movement has spread over 1500 forest villages in the state to save the trees.
Save Tree movement
The Save Tree movement (tying Rakhi thread on trees) for the protection of the environment in Jharkhand has become a role model for environmentalists in European countries, the USA, Japan and South Africa who not only celebrate protecting the environment but also share the celebration on post.
Save Tree movement is brainchild of ACCF Sanjiv Kumar
The Jharkhand model of the Save Tree movement is the brainchild of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) Ranchi Sanjiv Kumar who along with selected villagers launched the campaign 20 years ago in a tiny forest village of Tundi block, around 40 km away from the district headquarters.
The celebration (tying Rakhi thread on the tree) attracted surrounding villages and villagers joined in the campaign in mass to save trees and take its products. Besides saving trees, Sanjiv Kumar is also promoting the Sohrai arts of forest villagers of the state.
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Being Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sanjiv Kumar simultaneously launched lac cultivation, Tasar and constructed a check dam in Naxal-affected Surra and other areas of the block to associate villagers with the Save Tree campaign.
In 2008-09, the industry department of the Jharkhand government felicitated him for his outstanding work in Tundi block.
After Dhanbad, Sanjiv Kumar launched the campaign as Dhalbhum Forest Division officer in Chaibasa, Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Hazaribagh in the association of Van Raksha Samiti members.
Environmentalist award
In 2019, Sanjiv Kumar was given the prestigious ‘Environmentalist’ award at the 6th International Conference on Environmental and Ecologists held in Allahabad.
Dinesh Kumar Mahtha, a villager of Tundi forest village said since Sanjiv Kumar developed trees as earning and employment sources for villagers, his mission of environmental protection became a mass movement.
“Credit goes to villagers for making environment protection a mass movement. Since our lives depend on the environment, it is our responsibility to save them. India is an agricultural country. Forest leads to rain and rain would help agriculture. So we should be sensitive in protecting trees as well as the environment,” said Sanjiv Kumar.
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