Balasore: In an era of merciless deforestation on the pretext of urbanisation, Vijay Kumar Jena, a resident of Gardpokhari village under Gardpokhari Panchayat in Khaira block of Odisha’s Balasore district, has created a niche for himself and become an inspiration for others. Vijay’s endeavour to save the environment through afforestation measures during the last two decades has earned him the title of ‘Tree-Man’.
Vijay has spent over two decades of his life planting trees and distributing saplings among people in and around Balasore to ensure that the future generation enjoys more greenery. Serving as a casual employee in the Income Tax Department, Vijay’s sole purpose in life is to plant trees and take care of them. Whether he is at home or in the office, Vijay only dreams of turning the Earth into a green globe.
It all started in 2002 when one of Vijay’s friends succumbed to a stroke. His friend’s death moved Vijay and he started thinking about why people die of strokes and what he could do to make his place more livable. It struck him that improving the environment could play a vital role in helping people live healthy lives. The thought gave Vijay a mission in life and, from that day, he decided to plant trees and also encourage others to do so.
Now, Vijay’s day starts with venturing out into the nearby forests along with his friends and family to collect seeds for different types of plants and prepare the soil for sowing them. They then prepare compost and mix it with soil to prepare the cradle for growing their plants.
Vijay and his team visit all the hotels and shops in the area to collect polythene packets of oil, salt, flour, and other consumable items. They wash and dry these polythene packets and later pack them with soil and compost to sow the seeds they have collected. They nurture the seedlings in his backyard and when they are grown to sustain themselves, Vijay distributes them among people free of cost.
As a result, the area where he lives is greener than before. Inspired by his mission, many others have taken a keen interest in planting trees to give back to the Earth what we have robbed from it so far.
While Vijay started his mission alone, today many inspired people have joined him to help fulfill his dream of a greener Earth. Kudos to Vijay and his team!
