Inspiring! Meet Bijay Kumar Bhatt, Teacher From Odisha Who Is On A Green Mission

As a teacher in the Belabhumi High School, Astaranga, Bijay Kumar Bhatt has taught several students for two decades. But he is pretty famous for his work outside the classroom. Bijay has always seen the environment as a safeguard for human life, so saving it is the utmost priority.

Singlehandedly, Bijay has planted 30,000 trees, including 10,000 palm trees, in the Astaranga region, a coastal line in Puri, Odisha. His planted trees in the coastal margins of Puri have turned out to be resistant to floods, cyclones, and tidal surges for years. Majorly, he planted neem, date palm, and palm trees.

While talking about his motivation behind doing such work, he said, "It was the Super Cyclone in 1999 that put me in shock. Lakhs of trees were uprooted unnaturally while high tidal surges had flooded vast stretches of cropland, making it worthless for growing crops. I could not imagine the green cover in Puri regaining its previous shape in quick time."

Why Only Palm And Neem Trees?

A Sanskrit teacher who spent most of his life contributing to education recalls that he used to collect saplings of various types from the state-run nurseries. Then Bijay used to plant those saplings on the community land. After many days, he realised that the survival factor for these saplings is less as cattle used to graze on all the planted greeneries.

While sharing his idea of planting only Neem and Palm trees, he said, "After thinking many times, I asked myself that If I plant date palm, neem, and palm trees, no cattle will come to eat them." After this thought, Bijay began his journey and went unstoppable. After teaching in his school, he visited nearby villages to collect palm and neem seeds. He planted trees and highlighted that palm trees also minimise thunderstorm impact, which is the primary reason for natural death in India.

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