Jadav Payeng: The Forest Man of India

Jadav Payeng, the "Forest Man of India," created a sprawling 1,360-acre forest on his own in Jorhat, Assam, by planting trees on a barren sandbar after a tragic flood in 1979. Payeng's efforts have transformed the once-barren sandbar into a dense forest, which is home to thousands of trees and diverse wildlife, including tigers, rhinos, and elephants.

'Forest Man' Jadav Payeng. Image Source: TheWeek.in

Jorhat is one of the important cities in Assam where one could find the river Brahmaputra flowing through. Near Brahmaputra, there exists a dense forest which is so popular that thousands of people from all over the country come and visit every year. This forest is named Molai Forest - named after the nickname of the creator of the Forest. Joadav Molai Payeng is the single-handed creator of this vast 1380-acre forest and the story behind this extraordinary feat is ‘naturally’ incredible!

When Jadav "Molai" Payeng was a teenager, he witnessed a tragic incident that changed his life forever. In the year 1979, a huge flood washed a great number of snakes onto a barren sandbar near his birthplace, and when Payeng found them, they had all died due to the absence of any tree cover. Payeng, who was only 16 at the time, was devastated and grief-stricken.

"The snakes died in the heat without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms,"says Payeng.

Moreover, in spite of just being a teenager, he knew how big of a deal it was. He became unsettled, thinking about what it would be like if the same thing happened to humans instead. Payeng knew he had to take action.

He tried to alarm the locals- nothing happened. Then he asked the forest department - nothing happened there either. According to the officials, they believed that nothing could be grown there; and even if they did, they wouldn't survive the harsh conditions of the terrain - which included frequent floods, earthquakes, landslides and so on. But the ray of hope emerged for Payeng when he approached the local tribes.

It is said that the local tribes are the ones closest to the heart of nature. And fairly so, they suggested Payeng an idea which later changed his whole life.

“I asked the tribal people in the nearby village”, recalls Payeng, “ they said that I should plant bamboo… since it could withstand harsh conditions”. The tribal people gave him a few saplings, and Payeng knew exactly what he had to do. This marked the start of his extraordinary journey of planting - not just a tree - but what eventually turned out to be a huge and dense forest.

The Molai Forest. Image: Indiano Travel

Payeng was determined to bring life to the barren sandbar and began planting trees, a process he carries on to this day. Over the years, Payeng's relentless efforts have transformed the once-barren sandbar into a sprawling 1,360-acre forest - being the home to several thousands of varieties of trees and diverse wildlife. The forest is a sanctuary for birds, deer, apes, rhinos, elephants, and even tigers. The “Molai” Forest - named after his nickname in his tribute - is visited by over a hundred species of birds and wild animals.

Jadav Payeng is now the "Forest Man of India"- a name that people gave him to pay tribute. Presently, he shares a small hut with his wife and three children in the forest. His source of livelihood? Making a living selling cow and buffalo milk.

Quite interestingly, when the forest started to grow, Payeng reportedly lost over 100 of his cows and buffaloes to the tigers in the forest. However, such is his humility, that he remains undeterred and blames the people who carry out large-scale encroachment and destruction of forests as the root cause of the plight of wild animals.

“They (the tigers) see cattle as food!” says Payeng humbly.

Payeng throughout his years has been honoured with recognition and awards several times for his contribution to the environment. However, his greatest recognition came in 2015 when he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award - the fourth-highest civilian award in India. Moreover, he received an honorary doctorate degree from Assam Agricultural University and Kaziranga University for his relentless and committed contributions to conserving nature.

An illustration of Jadav Payeng, from the biographical children's book Jadav and the Tree-Place by Vinayak Varma. Source: Wikimedia Foundations

Payeng's simple solution to the global problem of depleting forest cover is to teach children how to love nature.

"The rest will happen on its own," he says.

He encourages people to form close bonds with nature. Whenever he walks past any tree, he feels a human connection with them.

"They call out to me - saying 'Come now; enough of walking in the sun. Sit under our shade and rest" he fondly says.

Payeng's dedication to the environment is an inspiration to all. He proves that a single person can make a huge difference and bring about positive change in the world. His story is a reminder that we must all do our part in protecting the environment and preserving our planet for future generations.

If one man with such dedication can plant a whole forest, then many 'Payengs' together can rebuild the world.