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Reviving nature

  • 27/02/2000

Reviving nature an ardent follower of Gandhian principles, Narayan Hazary's work reflects the magnanimity and vision of his mentor. Born in Kesharpur, a small village situated in the foothills of Binhagiri in Nayagarh district, Orissa, Hazary, 63, has been working since his late teens to restore prosperity in his village. Today, thanks to Hazary's persistent efforts, the villagers are self-dependent and aware about their rights. They have not only taken up village self-governance but, having realised the immense value of safeguarding their ecology, have embarked on a number of ventures to restore the greenery in and around their villages.

Talking about his motivation, Hazary recalls incidents from his childhood (probably around the early 1940s) when wild animals like leopards and tigers from the dense surrounding forests were known to stray into human settlements. A number of streams also ran down the neighbouring hills. All that changed after Independence. As a youngster, he remembers the swift disappearance of the lush green cover surrounding his village.

Hazary observes that post-Independence, once the people got free access to the forests, felling of trees became rampant as human settlements spread and the need for cultivable land grew. By the late 1950s, the Binhagiri and Malati forests, stretching across 390 hectares, were completely devastated and the villagers had started to grow paddy on the slopes of the hills which had been stripped bare of the rich flora and fauna. Wildlife had also disappeared.

Following the destruction of the forests the villagers, however, faced numerous troubles as soil erosion started to take place and the streams dried up, adversely affecting the crop yield. Worse still, groundwater levels dropped from 6 metres to 18 metres, plunging the village into a severe water crisis. Non-availability of firewood made life difficult for the villagers and there was almost no fodder to feed the cattle and goats. Further, the lack of irrigation facilities made cultivation impossible resulting in a deterioration of the financial condition of the villagers.
The man with a mission At around this time, a young Hazary decided to work with the poor, illiterate villagers towards the development of the village. He founded a non-governmental organisation in Kesharpur called Bhuksha

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