Sikar: World Environment Day was celebrated worldwide on June 5, during which people came out to plant saplings and pledged to save the environment. What the environmentalists preached that day is being followed by Manrup Jethu since his youth. This 91-year-old resident of Jethwa village has planted around thousand saplings in the last 31 years.
Villagers call him 'Barh wale Baba' (Banyan Man) and respect him for his hard work and love for nature. This name has an interesting story. Once some people came to his village to cut 'Barh' (banyan) tree. Despite Manrup's resistance, the tree was cut. It urged Manrup to plant a banyan tree in his village. Since then, he started planting saplings in the village.
Manrup has planted more than one thousand saplings in Jamshettha Bas village, Shamshan Ghat and other public places.
Despite his old age, Manrup makes sure that he himself waters these plants. Most of the trees that he planted were peepal. He believes that the peepal tree has religious significance and it also generates round-the-clock oxygen.
The world needs more people like Manrup to realise the need to save the environment and take whatever little steps they can in their lives to make the world a better place to live.
