July 1 is observed as the Vana Mahotsav day on which planting of trees is carried out at a grand scale. The day is meant for preservation and growth of forests.
The idea of celebrating the Vana Mahotsav first struck the mind of late former Agriculture and Forest Minister KM Munshi during the Jawaharlal Nehru regime. Munshi by holding the festival and undertaking amammoth drive at afforestation borrowed a leaf from the tribal masses. The tribals are an inalienable part of the forests. They not only live amidst forests and get their livelihood from the forests but also are a custodian of the forests. Every tribal knows forests are synonymous with life and where there is no forest, there is no life. The watersheds, the catchment areas of rivers and the lands of wild creatures have symbiotic relationship.
A tribal is a true naturalist and conservationist. Thus they are opposed to wanton destruction of forests for industrialization. The tribal communities have also their religious and cultural sentiments associated with forests.
Munshi’s drive was aimed at preservation and growth of forests. Being a nature lover, he knew the adverse impact of the loss of forest patches. Given the fast growth of population, he could foresee the inevitability of its pressure on forest resources and hence his sole aim was to popularise the idea of expanding forest cover and generating a sort of respect for the forests.
The idea of Munshi was very much approved by the then Prime Minister Nehru. During the 1950s, the forest department was not separated from the agricultural department. Munshi heading the important portfolio, had warned against any damage to the natural growth of forests in hilly regions and mountains. However, Munshi’s idea has few takers these days. The mindless destruction of forests is a glaring example of it.
Forest is a biological complex of plant and animal communities which exist in perfect harmony. The forests not only help prevent pollution and maintain a balance in climatic temperature but also save human beings from natural disasters.
Of late, it’s a good phenomenon to notice that nations all over the globe have been very conscious about the preservation of the forests and environment. Special days have been fixed to create awareness among the people about saving water, soil, earth, and environment, etc.
Mountains and hills are the source of life supporting system apart from economic development. Now mankind seems to have scant regards for them and in the name of development, it has been exploiting the mountains and hills like never before against the law of nature. The disaster experienced in the Himalayan ranges of Uttarakhand is a result of this. Similar exploitation of the Eastern Ghats in Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand poses a grave danger to the eastern zone States in India.
This year, the Odisha Government has produced 7.5 crore saplings for carrying out plantations. If all the seedlings are successfully planted and raised to trees, it can surely compensate the big damages caused to the forest cover of the State due to the ongoing industrialisation spree.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and an environmentalist)