Daniel Thimmayya mexpresso@epmltd.com C MATHEMATICS had never really been my strong point, I must confess. Yet my mind did do a bit of a back-flip when the genial gentleman seated opposite me stated that he had planted a whopping tally of 52,000 trees all over the state. The cause of nature has been frequently upheld by numerous citizens of the soil through the last century and before. I somehow doubt though if the city of Coimbatore has ever produced a green prodigy such as M Yoganathan, till date. Hailing from a rural background, the mild mannered bus conductor with the State Transport Corporation is enigmatic when his forte is brought up. He effortlessly runs through baffling facts and anecdotes about various animals and plants indigenous to the state, collected over the years from several reputed naturalists and nature photographers and stored away in his laser quick memory . With merely a day a week off from the grueling Route 92 that he has operated for many years now, he devotes that time travelling every nook and cranny of the state with his prized collection of photo slides in an attempt to generate interest among school children and college students towards promoting the cause of nature. He believes that students are the primary hope toward saving whatever bit of the environment can be salvaged. This is why he has built a strong team of students from various colleges united in his passion and regularly organises tree planting sprees, nature hikes and photography expeditions in the reserves in the state. Examining the root of this near fanatic passion, he explained how, when he was in high school, the sight of a nest being destroyed on a tree being felled aroused a deep emotion to prevent it from happen ing and the rest as they say, is his story! Beyond merely planting saplings, he entrusts it to specific people, predominantly students, and encourages them to bond with the tree and raise it much like a pet, albeit a lifegiving one. With such a hectic schedule and never ending agenda, family life hasn't been quite easy for him. Yet, he has explained this facet of his life clearly to his wife before marriage and she has upheld her end of the bargain splendidly, according to him. His children and immediate family also support his views, going to the extent of refusing to use plastic in any means avoidable, be it a glass of juice at a nearby vendor or a mere straw. However it hasn't always been a joyous education trip for him as he turns into a fearsome activist when human negligence and lack of concern cause the loss of wildlife or shrubbery. This has led him into potentially life threatening situations from which he has escaped by mere hair's breadth on occasions. With hundreds of camps and workshops under his belt, awards and recognitions are not new to this bustling eco-enthusiast. Recently the recipient of the