We have seen many well-known personalities and their life-story from their life-cycle from their birth to death and we all felt sad and even cried for the loss. And it is very sad to announce that we have lost one such personality who single-handedly planted nearly 50 lakh trees. India has lost its ‘Tree Man’ Vishweshwar Dutt Saklani, he passed away at 96.
Conservationist Vishweshwar Dutt Saklani, also fondly known as the ‘Vriksha Manav’ or ‘Tree Man’ has passed away in his village in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district.
Before becoming a conservationist, he was also a freedom fighter, who had also been an active participant in India’s struggle for independence.
In his long and distinguished lifetime, Saklani managed to plant and grow over 50 lakh trees in the district. Just imagine, 50 lakhs trees, it a huge number and I guess that’s what makes him an extraordinary person.
Some 60-70 years ago, he dedicated his entire life just to preserve something he loved the most. Most of the land in the region was without a single tree. After seeing such disaster, he decided and started planting bananas, burans, semal, bhimal and devdar trees. As we all know that no journey is exciting until we face some problems or hurdles, and so he did face them and won against all odds. The villagers had protested against him and often using violence because they believed him to be encroaching on their land by planting trees.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, his son Swaroop Saklani said,
“A decade ago, he lost his eyesight because mud and pebbles went into his eyes while planting trees. But that did not deter him. Even without eyesight, he planted thousands of trees.”
His wife Bhagwati Devi supported him in his obsession to plant trees over the years. She said,
“Trees were his everything. He used to say, trees are my family, my parents, my friends and my world. He did not wish to see the world because for him every tree was a world of its own.”
Saklani was honoured with the Indira Priyadarshini Award in 1986 by then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
