Indian Man Plants1,360 Acre Forest
teenager named Jadav “Molai”
Payeng began burying seeds
along a barren sandbar near
his birthplace in northern
India’s Assam region to grow
a refuge for wildlife.
Not long after, he decided to
dedicate his life to this
endeavor, so he moved to the
site where he could work full-
time creating a lush new
forest ecosystem. Incredibly,
the spot today hosts a
sprawling 1,360 acre of jungle
that Payeng planted single-
handedly.
The Times of India recently
caught up with Payeng in his
remote forest lodge to learn
more about how he came to
leave such an indelible mark
on the landscape:
It all started way back in
1979 when floods
washed a large number
of snakes ashore on the
sandbar. One day, after
the waters had receded,
Payeng , only 16 then,
found the place dotted
with the dead reptiles.
That was the turning
point of his life.
“The snakes died in the
heat, without any tree
cover. I sat down and
wept over their lifeless
forms. It was carnage. I
alerted the forest
department and asked
them if they could grow
trees there. They said
nothing would grow
there. Instead, they
asked me to try growing
bamboo. It was painful,
but I did it. There was
nobody to help me.
Nobody was interested,”
says Payeng, now 47.
While it’s taken years for
Payeng’s remarkable
dedication to planting to
receive some well-deserved
recognition internationally, it
didn’t take long for wildlife in
the region to benefit from the
manufactured forest.
Demonstrating a keen
understanding of ecological
balance, Payeng even
transplanted ants to his
burgeoning ecosystem to
bolster its natural harmony.
Soon the shadeless sandbar
was transformed into a self-
functioning environment
where a menagerie of
creatures could dwell. The
forest, called the Molai
woods, now serves as a safe
haven for numerous birds,
deers, rhinos, tigers, and
elephants — species
increasingly at risk from
habitat loss elsewhere.
Despite the conspicuousness
of Payeng’s project, Forestry
officials in the region first
learned of this new forest in
2008 — and since then
they’ve come to recognize his
efforts as truly remarkable,
but perhaps not enough.
“We’re amazed at Payeng,”
says Assistant Conservator of
Forests, Gunin Saikia. “He has
been at it for 30 years. Had
he been in any other country,
he would have been made a
hero.”
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