He is an ordinary youth but is on an extraordinary mission of creating awareness and educating the locals about the role of tress in maintaining ecological balance and protecting the area from nature’s fury in the forms of flood, tsunami, earthquake, global warming and climate change.
Meet the 35-year-old resident of Medical Chowk, Kendrapada Sk Chand. Having studied only till the fourth grade, he can only write his name correctly. Besides, he can hardly read or write other things correctly. He earns his living by selling sunglasses and caps on the roadside. This hasn’t deterred his spirit on this noble mission.
“Though I am not well educated but I learnt from watching TV and also listening to intellectual persons of the locality that forest plays a pivotal role in balancing Nature. Due to the felling of trees every day, we are slowly and steadily facing environmental pollution in several forms; so, I decided to spread awareness messages by giving stress on planting at least 10 trees in a person’s lifespan and nourishing them till they become big ones,” stated Chand.
Chand feels that erratic development works and urbanisation at the cost of forests is resulting in Kendrapada facing nature’s wrath in the forms of floods, cyclones and rise in temperature and humidity in summers. He conveys this message by holding placards and wearing masks to attract the crowd and by visiting schools, bus-stands, Collector’s office and several other crowded places three to four times in a week.
“I generally visit the agitation places, political parties’ meetings, cultural functions to convey my message. When I started my mission, some locals and my friends passed adverse comments, and several people even said that I had gone mad. But I did not let that dampen my confidence. I do not want recognition or praise; my aim is to create more awareness for plantation to save the area and the earth from Nature’s catastrophe,” said Chand.
Chand himself has planted hundreds of trees near the Nikirai College and at several other places in the township. Educated masses praise his efforts. Recently, Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, at a function here also congratulated him for his noble endeavour.