Meet Prabha Devi who has planted an entire forest of 500 trees in her village in Uttarakhand
The 76-year-old environmentalist has planted over 500 trees of different species in a small plot of land she owns in her village in Uttarakhand.
Climate change is upon us. Citizens and governments are now grappling with the far-reaching consequences of pollution, including plastic use, felling of trees, and other harmful practices that wreak havoc on the environment.
In India, too, people are not sitting back. Take the Aarey Forest protests, for example. A countrywide furore has taken on the Maharashtra government to decry the felling of 2,000 trees for development work in the area that is called the ‘last lung’ of Mumbai.
Prabha Devi (Image: The Logical Indian)
Trees are important for future generations, and no one knows this better than Prabha Devi. The 76-year-old has planted an entire forest in her village in Uttarakhand. The green cover includes more than 500 trees of different species, including oak, rhododendron, cinnamon, soap nut (reetha) and more, reports Himalayan Ghat.
Hailing from Palashat, a village in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, Prabha Devi took up this initiative in her early years and still continues at it. Speaking to The Logical Indian, she said,
“There was a steep increase in deforestation activities in and around our village. People want to construct new buildings or resorts after chopping trees and the entire ecosystem of forests was getting disturbed. I felt sad to see the forests being mercilessly cut down for fulfilling the materialistic needs of humans. My family had a small piece of land that was left uncultivated. I started planting trees on that land and even around my home. Now, it has turned into a dense forest, and I aim to plant more trees on barren land.”
Prabha was married off at the early age of 16 and received no formal education. She may not be educated, but she is bursting with knowledge on how to take care of trees. Having learnt all the methods of plantation by herself, she is an expert on the terrain conditions and other details critical for tree growth.
(Image: The Logical Indian)
Her efforts have earned Prabha Devi the moniker of ‘Friend of Tree’ in her village. The depletion of underground water table was a major concern in her village. As a solution, she suggested planting trees of local species like Baanj in nearby regions to enhance the water holding capacity. Besides, these trees also provide fodder for cattle or can be used in agro-based activities that many locals rely upon.
Prabha Devi’s son, Manish Semwal, told The Logical Indian,
“When we invite Ma to visit the city for a day, she simply refuses to come. She is deeply rooted in the Garhwali culture and strongly feels that our forests are as much important as the rituals which we solemnly swear by. Since all of us have moved out, she lends the produce from the forest to the local community members.”
With people like Prabha Devi working to save the environment in their own ways, all hope is not lost yet for Mother Earth.
(Edited by Evelyn Ratnakumar)
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