Sacchidanand Bharti

The human tendency is exceedingly selfish. He forgets to appreciate the entity which is easily available to him. Additionally, the tendency of arrogance in man also becomes the reason for his degradation. The arrogance of being the most cerebral creature in this world created by God is becoming the cause of man’s annihilation. God has blessed man the most in his world, but due to his ego and selfishness, man has become the enemy of this world. On the potency of his strength and intelligence, he wants to take the reins of this mighty world into his own hands. This arrogance and grandiosity have made him an egoistical creature, who has not only antagonised other creatures to fulfil his selfishness, but he has also become the enemy of nature. The cosmos which taught him to live, in whose lap he grew up and matured. Today he is seen as eager to destroy the same nature.

Man is a greedy creature. However, Sachidanand Bharti Ji maintains that it is not necessary that if in a bunch of fruits many are rotten, then the entire bunch is dreadful. Similarly, in this world full of selfishness, there also live some selfless futuristic people, who are concerned about the environment and the future. They appreciate the favours bestowed by nature and want to pay their debt by taking care of nature. These are the people who are moving forward with the motto that “the country gives us everything, we should also learn to give something”. They discern that if we serve nature, then that too is no less than a service to the nation. In a true sense, such nature-sympathetic individuals are providing oxygen to the world. If these people are recognised as the real superheroes, then it will not be an exaggeration in any way, because they are slowing down the pace of destruction. Had it not been for the efforts of these people, the crisis would have arrived by now. One such nature enthusiast is Shri Sachidanand Bharti Ji of Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Born amid the beauty of nature, this son of Uttarakhand not only tried to save nature but also has done the task of rejuvenating the environment. Bharti Ji may not have picked up the gun to serve the nation, but he has played an essential role in the interest of the nation.

He had taken a vow to save the environment at a young age. After receiving his primary education from the village school, when he came to Gopeshwar in 1974 for higher education, he started promoting creative works and ideas with his other student friends in the college. He formed ‘Yuva Nirman Samiti’ along with his young friends. With the formation of this committee, India’s biggest event of environmental protection took place. The ‘Chipko Andolan is considered to be the most historical movement of environmental protection in India. Being an observant learner and a nature-lover, he actively participated in the Chipko movement. This was just the beginning. In the year 1978, to prevent land subsidence from happening in Dasholi village Swarajya Mandal, a massive tree plantation camp of 45 days was organized. Bharti Ji along with more than one hundred of his young companions camped there for the entire 45 days. Today there is an immense and dense forest at that place. Bharti Ji considers nature as his friend and wants everyone else to have a close sense of friendship towards nature. To take this sentiment to the masses, on August 4, 1978, the ‘Dalu ka Dagdiya’ (Friends of Trees) congregation was formed. The group is still actively working today. After completing his higher education in 1979, he returned to his village Ufrekhal and started working as a teacher in the school. However, there also he continued solving forest and environmental concerns along with teaching students. In 1979, he succeeded in protecting the forest by organizing people to stop deforestation happening in his area.

In 1980, Bharti Ji organized the first environmental camp at Dudhatoli. After this camp, everyone went to the nearby forest area and planted saplings. With the aim of continuing this work, he formed an organization Dudhatoli Lok Vikas in 1982. Apart from doing the work of promotion, it also takes care of indigenous people and indigenous resources. To prepare the plants needed for afforestation, nurseries have been commenced by the organization in villages and schools. Women, men and children are linked through environmental camps. As the chief themes of the camps were grass, forest, leaves, farming etc., women continued to join and then it was decided that every village should have its own forest, to improve the convenience of women for fuel, resources etc. Due to this many women’s organizations emerged, which were called ‘Mahila Mangat Dal’. In 1989, Bharti Ji attention was also drawn towards the water crisis. Thus, he also started working for the conservation of water and got the name ‘Paani Rakho movement’. Consequently, today the water problem in this area has been completely solved. Last year in June 2021, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, also mentioned Bharti Ji in the program Mann Ki Baat and added that “if any work is done with true devotion and dedication, then there is definitely success in it. The way Bharti Ji has done the substantial work of water conservation, his efforts can be carried forward.” Additionally, he has been also been numerously awarded for his committed efforts with prestigious awards including Indira Gandhi Environment Award, Mahatma Gandhi National Award, Bhaorao Deoras Samman, Paryavaran Rakshak Award, Sanskriti Swami Rama Humanitarian Award, National Water Award etc. Shri Sachidanand Bharti Ji’s personality is revered by everyone in society and he continues to motivate people to become environment lovers. For these commendable works, he has been honored with the ‘Sant Eshwer Samman’ by the ‘Sant Eshwer Foundation’ for the year 2022.