Ajmer: In a unique initiative towards environmental conservation, villagers in at a village in Rajasthan's Ajmer district have been preserving neem trees for the last more than seven centuries so much so that felling of the trees is considered a crime by them.
Padampura village of Ajmer district is a beacon of light for tree lovers and those striving for environmental causes. At this Ajmer village cutting neem trees has been considered a crime over generations. Every person of this village considers neem as sacred and is committed to protect it.
How 'Neem Wala Gaon' Came Into Being: Padampura village, located in the lap of Aravali hills, 18 km from Ajmer, has a history of 705 years. There is a small fort in this village located at the foot of the hill which is a witness to its ancient history. People also know it as 'Neem Wala Gaon' immortalising the locals' love for the thousands of neem trees in the village. At Padampura village, cutting a neem tree, let alone breaking its branch is considered a crime. In Padampura village, which has a population of about 1200 people, the neem tree is not only part of faith, but also a heritage handed down from the ancestors, which is preserved here with the same intensity. It is not that there are no trees other than neem, but for this village and the people living here, the neem tree is God.
Amazing Example of Environmental Protection: Senior journalist Rohitash Gurjar in Ajmer has a deep connection with Padampura village. Being his maternal grandparents' place, Gurjar has been visiting Padampura since childhood and is well aware of its history and heritage. When the ETV Bharat team reached Padampura, they met Rohitash Gurjar and he said that a Kshatriya named Padam Singh had settled the village in ancient times. The ancient fort is still present on a high mound at the foot of the hill in the middle of the village. When Padam Singh settled the village, the villagers took a vow that the neem tree would never be cut and this became a law, Gurjar said. Most of the population in the village belongs to the Gurjar community. The deity of the Gurjar community is Devnarayan who is considered to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Gurjar underscored the significance of the villagers' efforts to conserve neem trees at a time when the environment is fast degrading.
Reverence For Neem Trees: Local woman sarpanch's husband Jasraj Gurjar said that since childhood, he has been hearing from the elders that neem is considered as 'Narayan'. He said he has never seen anyone cutting a tree, let alone cutting a branch of it. If a neem tree becomes an obstacle in someone's house or path, then the people of the village gather at the Chaupal and take a decision and the person concerned is made to donate to the temple and feed for birds and pigeons for the required pruning. Along with agriculture, people in the village are engaged in rearing of animals with most of the people into goat rearing.
Jasraj Gurjar said that neem trees are a boon for the village as the atmosphere of the village is clean and people remain healthy. “Even during the Corona period, not a single person of the village got the disease,” he said.
Villager Shivraj Singh said that people's faith is associated with the neem tree adding there are more than 15000 neem trees in the village. Due to the presence of more neem trees in the village, the temperature of the village remains lower than other places during summer, he said. When the power goes off in the village, people spend time in the cool shade of neem, added Singh. Village elder Om Singh said that 700 years ago, the elders had decided to protect and preserve the neem, and they are following it from generation to generation. “If someone secretly breaks even a branch of neem and does not make it public, then Devnarayan himself punishes him,” Singh claimed.
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