Jadav Payeng, proudly known as the Forest Man of India, is an inspirational environmental activist and a humble farmer who hails from Assam. He is a Padma Shri Award winner for his dedicated efforts of converting a thousand acres of sandbanks into a lush green forest and biodiversity spot in Assam.
Payeng’s Green Mission In US Curriculum
Recently, the students of Green Field School, Bristol, US, were taught a lesson about Jadav Payeng, highlighting his efforts towards environmental conservation. Sources suggest that the school does not follow textbooks and is managed by district administration.
Educationists prepare curriculum for specific classes and the Green Mission of Jadav gained a spot in such a curriculum.
The students of sixth grade were taught about Payeng’s work as a part of their Ecology and Environmental Science curriculum. They were also shown a few documentaries highlighting his incredible Green Mission that demonstrated how powerful an individual can be for making a change.
The key objective of narrating his story to the students was to inspire them and to disseminate an attitude that a single person is capable of doing anything and everything with the right attitude.
How Did Students And Teachers React?
Navami Sarma, a teacher working in the Green Field School highlighted the enthusiastic approach of students towards learning about Payeng’s story. They were astonished as to how an individual can develop an entire forest, all by himself.
Other teachers working at the same school also expressed to media sources how proud they were while watching students learn Payeng’s incredible journey.
Read Also: How Indian Army Protects Forests In The Country
While Jadav Payeng himself did not have any official intimation about the inclusion of his life journey in the US curriculum, he was happy to know from media sources that the students are learning about his efforts.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal congratulated Jadav Payeng, along with others, on Twitter for his exemplary work.
Jadav Payeng’s Journey
Jadav Payeng’s homeland, Majuli Island, located on the Brahmaputra river in Jorhat district of Assam, suffered a devastating flood in 1979. A significant number of snakes fled away with water and were later laid dead on the banks of the river.
Overall, there was a devastating ecological impact of the flood which Payeng could not bear. The piles of dead animals lying in scorching heat without any shelter made him realize the importance of trees for ecological balance.
With a zeal to do something for the environment, he started drilling deep holes into the land with a stick and planted seeds in those holes. He was not an environmental specialist, but his strategy paid off well in the long run.
Today, the area has turned into a giant forest that is larger than Central Park, New York, and a plethora of fauna from birds to monkeys and even elephants roam around. While Jadhav has lost count of the number of trees planted by him, his journey is truly incredible and inspiring.
Image credits: Google Images, Twitter
Sources: Deccan Herald, News 18, Business Today
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This post is tagged under: jadav payeng, forest man of India, molai jungle, jadav payeng story, jadav molai payeng, indian forests, molai forest, deforestation, USA curriculum, forests in India, Forest Man of India in US Curriculum
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