Jadav Payeng, also known as the Forest Man of India has dedicated forty years of his life to build a forest spread across over 1,300 acres on the Majuli island in Assam. Recently he visited Mumbai and delivered an inspiring speech to over 3,000 people, including students, teachers and parents about the importance and benefits of green cover.

He spoke about the memory of a flood in his village that led to the lack of green cover and immense heat which resulted in the death of many snakes that had entered their village due to flooding of river Brahmaputra. He was pushed to do something for nature.

He began by planting a few bamboo trees and watering them for over 50 days till they grew properly. Encouraged, he started planting other variety of trees. Initially, it was difficult for him to get trees and plant, but later it became easier as he got seeds from the trees that became big.

Although he had no knowledge of trees, his determination to work hard for the conservation of nature yielded fruitful results. The forest named as Molai forest is home to a number of migratory birds and animals from nearby national parks started visiting and eventually residing in the forest.

Payeng in his speech, said that there is lots of development taking place, but the green cover is dwindling rapidly. Efforts should be taken to conserve the green cover as trees help one remain healthy. He gave a great idea of giving saplings to children at the time of school admissions and encouraging them to nurture the tree they plant till they pass out of school.