Since 1979, PadmaShri Jadav Payeng has been planting hundreds of trees on an Indian island threatened by erosion. Over the course of several decades, he planted trees on a sandbar of the river Brahmaputra, turning it into a forest reserve. The forest is called Molai forest after him. He lives in a small hut in the forest with his family.
“All species on this planet are animals, including humans. The only difference is that humans wear clothes. There are no monsters in nature except humans,” he says, “humans consume everything until there is nothing left. Nothing is safe from humans, not even tigers or elephants.”
With no help from anyone, he started planting trees on this 550 hectare land in the year 1979. Today, a vast green forest stands as proof of his effort and perseverance.
Animals such as elephants, rhinos and deer roam his forest, and after 40 years, carrion birds such as as vultures have returned to the forest too. Watch this man’s incredible story in this award-winning documentary by William D McMaster, called ‘Forest Man’.