Former Indian opener and current Twitter king Virender Sehwag tweeted the story of conservationist 'Jadav Payeng' who is also known as the 'Forest Man of India' and twitteratis couldn’t stop applauding.
"Have you heard of this incredible man, Jadav Payeng, the Forest Man of India?" tweets Sehwag before sharing the story.
"Salute to the spirit of people like Payeng, who despite adverse situations sacrifice so much to save the environment," says Sehwag on Twitter.
Want to know more about Jadav Payeng?
He single-handedly transformed a piece of barren land in Assam into a forest reserve by planting trees over a course of three decades.
Yes, you read it right.
He was 16 when the flood hit Assam and Payeng observed that the flow of migratory birds was gradually declining to the forest areas and wetlands near his home and snakes were disappearing in large numbers.
After noticing the deaths of a large number of reptiles due to a lack of a tree cover, he alerted the forest department but they asked him to plant trees himself. He actually started planting Bamboo in an area that had been washed away by floods.
Now, that same land hosts 1,360 acres of Jungle called Molai Forest, named after Jadav “Molai” Payeng. It is also home to Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceros, over 100 deer and rabbits besides apes and several varieties of birds including a large number of vultures.
Payeng belongs to a tribe called “Mishing” in Assam, India. He lives in a small hut in the forest with his wife and his 3 children. He has cattle and buffalo on his farm and sells the milk for his livelihood which is his only source of income.
Mr Payeng also received the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards in the country, in 2015 for his efforts.
And here is how Twitteratis responded to Virender Sehwag's tweet.
He sacrificed all the worldly pleasures to save the environment and the eco-system. He fought alone and won the battle single-handedly. What an amazing will-power! Isn’t it?
What do you say? Share us in the comments.