Other States - Orissa

Prakriti Mitra turns arid lands into green fields

Tarini Charan Pradhan of Puhundi village in Ganjam district in Sirsasan doing asanas inside the orchard.

BERHAMPUR: At least plants do not ask for bribe for the service they provide, says Tarini Charan Pradhan who had left his job as a teacher to devote his life to plantation of trees.

This veteran of 75 years experience of life has grown up an orchard, which looks more like a forest at the remote Puhundi village of Patrapur block in Ganjam district. This happens to be the life time effort of this old man. The aged in the village say it was quite unbelievable that a single man could transform this arid patch of land into what it is now.

The State Government has honoured him with the ‘Prakriti Mitra’ Award for his efforts.

But Mr. Pradhan has not been silent. He continues to plant trees wherever he goes, even at places where he visits as a pilgrim or tourist.

He thanks the corrupt officer due to whom he resigned from his job to return back to the fields. “I am a farmer by birth and call of the land had dragged me to it,” he says. According to him, many years ago he was serving as teacher at Sundarballav Jagdevpur for a meagre pay of Rs. 40 per month.

For some official work he had come to Berhampur to meet the officials of the education department. He was shocked when the officer asked him to bring eggs as bribe to get his files cleared. It hurt him a lot. Immediately he wrote four sentences and handed it as his resignation letter

. “I would leave pen only because of corrupt people like you and return back to my fields as the farmer is still alive in my heart,” he wrote in his satiric lines in Oriya.

He said when he was not sure what to do after filing his resignation, a sadhu advised him to start planting trees to calm off his mind.

The sadhu advised him to pardon the selfish humans and concentrate on the plants who never ask anything in return for the service they provide. And planting trees on open unused land became his passion and profession providing him some income in return.

Now the orchard grown by him also boasts of a small coffee plantation. The kitchen garden in it provides him a regular income.

Mr. Pradhan says he has learnt to be self-dependant like the plants due to which he is able to do something for society. He keeps himself fit with rigorous practice of yoga asanas and advises youth to do so.

“One can serve others when he is fit and without much needs like the trees and plants around us,” he said.

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