The Covid-19 pandemic has brought several activities to a grinding halt. But it has not been able to stop an elderly man from hailing from West Bengal’s Bankura district from fulfilling his commitment to the environment by planting hundreds of tress in his native village in Bankura and Kollkata.
Affectionately called ‘Gach Dadu (tree grandpa) by locals Achinta Sural, a 67 year old former Central government employee, developed his passion for greenery from his father. Since then he has planted more than 1000 trees in native village Supra Nagar in Bankura and Kolkata.
Locals said that it was due to Sural’s efforts that several parts of Surpa Nagar now have lush greenery and rows of trees and he is heartily appreciated by villagers for his efforts. Even during the pandemic he has planted at least 100 tress in his village.
“I am just trying to make a small contribution to the environment by planting trees. Hopefully more people will come forward for this,” said Sural.
Even as Sural has shifted to Kolkata from Bankura several years back but he continued to frequently visit his native village to pursue his passion for greenery.
It is a familiar site for the villagers to see the elderly man walking on the village roads with a spade and bag of saplings. But their beloved ‘Gach Dadu’ wants to spread his passion among the younger generation.
Inspired by his work a group of youths has set up a team called the ‘Green Army’ to speed to plant even more trees. Locals said that even as they are taking all precautions during the pandemic their passion for planting trees has not subsided a bit.
“It is heartwarming to see the younger generation passionately embracing his (Sural’s) commitment to the environment. Hopefully more people from our village will join in,” said a villager.
However, Sural is not bothered about recognition or praise. All he wants is that more trees to get get planted.
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