Teacher's Green Legacy: 10,000+ Trees Planted

For more than two decades, a retired teacher in Hazaribag has been cultivating a substantial green movement. Manoj Kumar Singh, affectionately known as 'Bargad Baba', has planted over 10,000 saplings since 2003 across various districts in Jharkhand, including Hazaribag, Chatra, Koderma, Giridih, Ramgarh, and Ranchi. A significant majority of these plantings have successfully grown into mature trees.

Singh, a former faculty member at Govt Teacher's Training College, dedicates his post-retirement life to afforestation and environmental awareness. His work specifically targets ecologically vital and long-living tree species such as banyan, peepal, pakad, gular, and kalpataru. These trees are chosen for their contributions to biodiversity and their role in providing essential shelter and sustenance for avian populations.

The 63-year-old teacher draws inspiration from his uncle and has personally invested his pension to fund much of this extensive afforestation effort. He actively mobilizes community support, encouraging residents to commemorate significant life events by planting trees. Over the years, he has successfully engaged hundreds of his former students, who are now educators themselves, to join and promote this vital environmental campaign.