Anand Mahindra Lauds 'Forest Man Of India' Jadav Payeng; Here's All You Need To Know

Industrialist Anand Mahindra on Monday took to X to pay tribute to one of India's most remarkable environmental heroes, Jadav Payeng, famously known as the "Forest Man of India."

"Jadav Payeng, the 'Forest Man of India,' planted one tree after another, day after day, for decades, on a barren sandbar in Majuli island. The result is a thriving forest and ecosystem," Mahindra wrote in his post.

"But what inspires me is not just his crusade for the environment. His forest is a living monument to focus, patience, and purpose. In an age when we are surrounded by ADD and multitasking, he reminds us that relentless attention to one meaningful act can, over time, create miracles, not just for the planet, but for our own peace of mind."

Jadav Payeng, now a globally recognised environmentalist, began his green revolution as a teenager. In 1979, at just 16, he was moved by the sight of snakes lying dead on a barren sandbar on Majuli island, the world's largest river island in Assam. The snakes had died from exposure to heat: a result of the lack of vegetation.

Deeply disturbed, Payeng decided to act. He began planting bamboo saplings on the desolate land. What started as a personal mission grew into a decades-long environmental movement, carried out by one man, alone.

Today, over 40 years later, that once-barren sandbar has transformed into a lush, thriving forest called Molai Kathoni. Spanning 550 hectares (1,360 acres) — larger than New York's Central Park — the forest is a haven for biodiversity.

Molai Forest is home to:

• Bengal tigers

• Indian rhinoceros

• Over 100 deer and rabbits

• Reptiles and monkeys

• Several species of birds, including vultures

• A thriving bamboo cover over 300 hectares

The forest, comparable to 15 football stadiums in size, is filled with indigenous trees including valcol, arjun (Terminalia arjuna), Pride of India (Lagerstroemia speciosa), royal poinciana (Delonix regia), silk trees (Albizia procera), moj (Archidendron bigeminum), and cotton trees (Bombax ceiba).

In 1980, the Assam Forestry Division launched a plan to reforest 200 hectares of land on the Brahmaputra river's sandbars. But the project was abandoned by 1983. Payeng, however, never stopped. For over three decades, he nurtured the land by planting trees, tending them, and expanding the forest's reach entirely by himself.

Remarkably, authorities only discovered Payeng's forest in 2008, when a herd of 100 wild elephants wandered into it. Since then, elephants have become annual visitors, staying for up to six months and even giving birth to 10 calves within the forest.