The tree grandfather
In Purulia, Dukhu Majhi is known as “Gaach Dadu”, the tree grandfather. His official Padma citation describes him as an environmentalist who has planted and cared for trees for decades in this hot, low-rainfall region of West Bengal. He was born on 1 January 1945 and had very little formal schooling.
A cycle, two cans, a shovel
His daily method is remarkably simple. He sets off on his bicycle with water cans, sacks, a shovel, burnt wood and saplings. He plants along roadsides and at rural markets, bus stops, cremation grounds, temple areas, school grounds and health centres, and then waters and protects the plants so they survive. The citation records one unusual practice: he uses discarded cloth from the cremation ground to cover young saplings, so passers-by and animals do not harm them.
Counting the years and the trees
Government publications and independent journalism both put his long persistence at the centre of his story. Sources describe it as anything from three to five decades of work; New India Samachar presents it as a five-decade commitment and gives a figure of more than 5,000 banyan, mango and jamun saplings.
The work after planting
The strength of his story lies less in its scale than in its method: steady planting and after-care with almost no resources. Plantation drives often stop once the sapling is in the ground. Majhi’s focus was on looking after it until it grew. The real work of planting a tree begins after it is planted.
Sources
- Padma Awards 2024: official citation
- MyGov: Padma Shri awardees
- New India Samachar (Feb 2024)
- Hindustan Times: unsung among Padma awardees from Bengal
- padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/CitationsForTickets/2024/202472.pdf
- secure.mygov.in/padma-shri/?page=4
- newindiasamachar.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/Magazine/2024/Feb/M202402161.pdf
- hindustantimes.com/cities/kolkata-news/unsung-among-padma-awardees-from-bengal-101706246408519.html