By MEGHA CHAUDHARY
DEHRADUN, 15 Nov: There are many things which seem unachievable. We dream a lot of things that are not always within our grasp, but there are people who believe in the contrary. History is evidence of people who believe and also have turned the notion of impossible to possible. And there’s a person who has done the same – turned impossible into possible – and has gained a splendid breakthrough simply through his hard work and determination. He is Sachidanandan Bharti, who hails from Uttarakhand. He was invited by the RS Tolia Forum to the Valley of Words Fest, 2019, and heartily congratulated for what he has done for society and nature. The welcome address began with Binita Shah welcoming Sachidanandan Bharti and acknowledging his benign presence. Rajendra Dobhal, Director General, UCOST, shed personal insight on the life of Bharti and called him a “revolutionary environmentalist”. Sachidanandan Bharti is a school teacher by profession but has planted over 15 lakh trees in 150 villages. Rajendra Dobhal also mentioned Bharti’s humility, since he’s personally known to him since 2009. Sachidanandan Bharti foremost thanked his professor, then expressed his deep gratitude in simple words towards the collective help he received from women all over Uttarakhand, who helped him raise 15 lakh trees all together. He addressed the problems of lack of water, deforestation and the utter cruelty humans are capable of when threatened, after they have nothing left to eat or drink. These factors, he said, have led people to move towards different jungles and loot the people settled nearby. “1979 was an inspirational year for me. That’s when I thought that ‘Har gaaon ka apna jangal hona chaiye’,” he said. This is how his journey began, forty years of sprightly tree-planting in over 150 villages. Amidst this, he was also able to empower women of the villages, who in turn helped him, mobilising themselves like a “green army” as the supporters of afforestation. “Also, we must realise the power of networking. When I started working, I wasn’t sure if I was going to receive any support or not. But when people realised that this is what is needed and is the need of an hour, they joined me on my journey without any second thoughts,” he said. “I was recently felicitated in Shillong by IMI. Lots of discussion ensued after my work. Then people started mentioning that this could work in the tea plantations in Assam. Similarly, someone else said that, ‘Wow, this could also work in the apple gardens of Himachal Pradesh!’.” Thus, he emphasised on the significance and importance of networking, and sharing individual attempts of reforming something which might be deemed impossible at first, but is actually not. The session concluded with a vote of thanks dedicated to IMI and the whole team of VoW fest, who were able to bring people from all walks of life to talk about issues which are pertinent and require immediate attention.
