RAMANATHAPURAM: We live in a time when the impact of global warming has become significantly harder to postpone or subvert. Yet, environmental awareness has not fully spread out to all sections of society, and is barely reified as part of our collective cultural memory. No wonder then, Subash Srinivasan, a 47-year-old special sub-inspector, comes as a big surprise. The khaki-clad green hero, who serves with the economic offences wing of Ramanathapuram police, has been an active environmentalist for more than a decade.
“According to the National Forest Policy of India, 33% forest cover is absolutely necessary for ecological stability. But in Ramnad, the forest cover percentage has dwindled to single digits. Given trees are the only source of oxygen for us, I started my journey to protect them nearly a decade ago,” Subash, a recipient of the Anna medal for gallantry during his service as a police officer, recalls.
“The very first thing I had come across was the extensive nailing of advertisements to trees. This practice has been proven to severely impact their growth. I simply started to remove such pin-ups. During my leisure time, I would often be seen with my two sons, with ladders and hammers, strutting about, plucking out nails from trees,” he says. Over a decade, Subash has accumulated over 250 kg of iron nails plucked from trees; he has also spread awareness among those who nail advertisements to trees and even recommended alternative methods of pinning up posters and signs.
“Among the major hurdles encountered while attempting to improve the locale’s green cover are the Seemai Karuvelam (Prosopis juliflora) trees, an invasive species that negatively impacts the groundwater table and prevents other trees from growing. The Sethupathi tank area near my house was completely filled with Seemai Karuvelam trees. I could not afford to hire heavy vehicles to clear the growth, so I went down there myself and set to chopping down one tree at a time. Spending two hours during the night every day, for two years straight, I managed to single-handedly clear out over 2 acres of Seemai Karuvelam tree growth in the tank area. Following this, I planted native tree saplings all over the place,” Subash says.
As part of his tree planting routine, he also learned to prepare saplings and hand them over to others. Following the footsteps of Nammalvar and with the help of a Google search every now and then, Subash has managed to understand the basics of organic farming, and uses the methods to both prepare saplings by himself and also teach the younger generation to make them.
“Former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, actor Vivek and many others had shown interest in improving the nation’s green cover. Inspired by such people, I started preparing native tree saplings, and in over five years of attending various plantations drives, I have managed to prepare and plant more than 10,000 saplings. I fund all of my environmental endeavours from my own pocket. I am very grateful to my two sons who have continued to support and show immense interest towards the cause,” he says with a smile.For his relentless environmental work outside of being a police officer, Subash has received special appreciation certificates from the district collector twice.
“Every day, air pollution is on the rise across the country. The only way to reverse these changes is to rebuild and preserve our environment. Each and every person on earth has this responsibility. Everyone should at least plant a single tree in their neighbourhood, maintain it and safeguard it from invasive species. If we manage to help the trees now, they could save our children in the future,” Subash concludes.
(Edited by Suriya B)