New Delhi: Sunday Times had on April 1 reported about Assam man Jadav Payeng’s unparalleled feat of single-handedly growing a forest spread over 550 hectares on a sandbar in the Brahmaputra over 30 years. On Earth Day, Jawaharlal Nehru University honoured him for his remarkable achievement at a public function organized by the School of Environmental Sciences. An interactive session was held where Payeng shared his experience of creating the forest that is home to the endangered Indian vulture, onehorned rhino and Royal Bengal tiger. The session was attended by Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh, popularly known as the ‘water man of India’. JNU vice-chancellor Sudhir Kumar Sopory called Payeng the ‘forest man of India’ and added that true nature lovers don’t spend time attending lectures and conferences, they are found in the field; they need no awards for motivation, their love for nature is ingrained.