(News) Bhaiyalal (Manjhi) of Bundelkhand nurturing around 30,000 trees

He may not have cut a mammoth hill like Dashrath Manjhi to clear the way for his fellow villagers in Bihar as a tribute to his wife, but this green crusader has helped plant over 30,000 trees in Chitrakoot of Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh.

After his wife died during labour in 2001, Bhaiyalal, 48, was desolate. In 2008, another tragedy struck him when his only son died at a tender age of seven and he lost all interest in life.

But then the idea of working for the people occurred to him and he decided to bring barren lands back to life by planting saplings and nurturing trees. Since then, there has been no looking back for this environmental crusader of Bharatpur village in Chitrakoot.

Bhaiyalal, who has been working as a contractual labour with the forest department, took part in a massive plantation drive launched in Bundelkhand in 2008. He specially chose barren lands coming under the forest department in Chitrakoot and helped in planting and nurturing around 30,000 trees.

"I believe that forest should look like a forest and kept on planting trees," Bhaiyalal told TOI. Not only this, Bhaiyalal single-handedly watched over the 30,000 trees and saved them from the vagaries of nature or being eaten up by animals till they grew up.

(News) Bhaiyalal (Manjhi) of Bundelkhand nurturing around 30,000 trees