Forest Man Jadav Payeng calls for hands-on environmental education

Tezpur, Feb 13: Renowned environmentalist and globally acclaimed ‘Forest Man of India’ Jadav Payeng asserted that children are the strongest hope for building a sustainable future and called for practical and experience-based environmental education from the earliest stages of life.

Speaking during a programme held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Asomiya Suraksha Mancha on Wednesday, Assam, at the Tezpur Sahitya Sabha Bhawan, Payeng emphasised that every child should be encouraged to plant a sapling on the day of school admission and should be taught to nurture it as they grow older.

“This practice will instil a deep love for trees, birds and animals that find shelter in them. These children will one day become the protectors who rebuild our natural environment,” he said.

On the occasion, the Asomiya Suraksha Mancha conferred its newly instituted Asom Nakshatra Award on Jadav Payeng in recognition of his lifelong and tireless contribution to environmental conservation.

The award comprised a traditional gamosa, seleng sador, japi, a citation, a memento, and a cash prize of Rs 10,000.

After receiving the honour, Payeng said that children across all 195 countries of the world are like his own family.

“From the land of the rising sun to where it sets, wherever I go I urge upon children to plant and protect trees and to worship Nature as God,” he said. He remarked that environmental values must be taught through practice, not theory.

Referring to Assam’s rich cultural and spiritual legacy, Payeng said that the British move to preserve Srimanta Sankardev’s Vrindavani Vastra in a museum itself proved that Sankardev was a true global guru. “Srimanta Sankardev imparted knowledge under a silikha tree, and the simolu tree planted by Madhavdeva still survives today,” he noted.

He added that all great spiritual leaders – from Buddha to Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad – preached harmony with Nature.

The environmentalist also highlighted the deep ecological consciousness embedded in Assamese music, right from the compositions of Bhupen Hazarika to the songs of Zubeen Garg.

Warning against the growing menace of plastic pollution, Payeng called for a complete ban on use of plastics in Assam and the Northeast, stating that plastic is rendering soils infertile and destroying aquatic life.

He cited disturbing instances where up to five kilograms of plastic had been found in the stomachs of dead cattle.

“I worship Nature as God, and humanity and love for Nature is my religion,” Payeng said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic had exposed humanity’s dependence on Nature.

In a creative proposal to honour cultural icons, Payeng suggested developing small forests on both sides of newly constructed bridges across the State, dedicated to singer Zubeen Garg, with the latter’s songs being used to inspire environmental awareness among the younger generation.

He also underscored the importance of education in the mother tongue, stating that nations prioritising their native languages progress faster.

“In our obsession with English, we are forgetting Assamese,” he warned. Highlighting climate change impacts, Payeng suggested that district administrations should declare heat holidays based on local temperature conditions rather than uniform summer vacations, cautioning that the coming summers could be hotter than previous years.

The day-long programme began with a traditional welcome accompanied by khol and taal, followed by hoisting of the organisational flag and lighting of lamps before portraits of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Bishnu Prasad Rabha and Zubeen Garg.

Dr Parashmoni Sinha, adviser of the organisation garlanded the portrait of cultural icon Zubeen Garg and said that honouring Jadav Payeng with the Asom Nakshatra Award is a privilege for the Asomiya Surakha Manch.