Thursday, 03 June 2021 | PNS | New Tehri
Vishveshwar Dutt Saklani who was also called as the Vriksh Manav or Tree Man had said, “A three kilo spade is my pen, the earth is my book, plants are my words and I have written a green history on this earth.” A resident of Pujar village in Tehri district, Saklani is credited for having planted about 50 lakh trees. On his 99th birth anniversary on Wednesday, there may not have been any formal programme or homages paid to him by politicians but the jungle he grew in the region continues to provide clean air to people and life to myriad of creatures.
Born on June 2, 1922 in Pujar village, the Tree Man had the spirit of nurturing nature by planting trees a legacy that was passed down to him by the elders of his family. He started planting trees from the age of eight years and the practice of planting trees continued as he grew older. Saklani and his elder brother Nagendra Sakalani had also participated in the freedom struggle and had also gone to jail for that. Nagendra Sakalani was martyred during the freedom struggle. His wife also died in 1956. These incidents added to Saklani’s attachment to the trees. After that, tree plantation became his main purpose in life. Carrying a satchel on his shoulder, a spade in his hand, he was engrossed in sowing the seeds of multipurpose species of Banj (oak), Burans (Rhododenderon), Kafal, cedar and other broad leaf trees. His son, Santosh Sakalani said that more than 50 lakh trees were planted on about 1,200 hectares in the Saklana belt. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi also presented the Indira Gandhi Environment Award to Saklani for his work. Santosh Saklani said that due to Covid restrictions they could not observe his anniversary but are planning a huge plantation programme on his 100th birth anniversary next year.
