Illiterate in Mayurbhanj creates green forest over 11 acres of barren land

Baripada , June 8: An illiterate man of Mayurbhanj has created a green forest on over 11 acres of barren land near his village. The District Administration has recognized the green man on the World Environment Day with the 'Prakruti Bandhu' award for his commendable contribution to the environment. The green man is Makuru Mohanta, a native of Adipur village under the Sukruli block in the Mayurbhanj district. Makuru, who is now an octogenarian, is famous across the state as a tree-lover who has created a green forest on the bank of a river near the Adipur village with his own effort. He has spent almost thirty years in his primitive nursery growing it into a deep forest. Now his hand-grown forest has thousands of trees including flower plants, and fruit plants along with mixed vegetation, which has made the village environment greener. At the same time, villagers are fulfilling some of their basic needs from Mohanta’s forest. {"id":189604,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} Expressing joy over the Prakruti Mitra honour, Mohanta said that his long effort of 30 –years has now borne fruits. He becomes overjoyed to sit and enjoy the breeze from the forest in the morning and evening. However, he said that he was being ridiculed by the locals as they were thinking that his dreams would not come true.  It is why he was collecting some more shadow-giving saplings from the neighbouring states including Bihar and Jharkhand to grow them despite environmental adversities. Now his mission has seen success and thousands of plants have grown into giant trees for his living touch on the saplings. “Gone are those days, the people are now my fans who assist me bring new saplings for new afforestation in the nearby vicinity. At the same time, they are inviting me to plant horticulture saplings like mango, coconut, cashew nuts and jackfruits hoping that their farming will have rapid growth and bear better fruits” said Makuru.