CHITRADURGA: The story of Siddaraju Jogi, a farmer in Chitradurga city, brings to life what the French writer Jean Giono probably wished for when he wrote The Man Who Planted Trees in 1953: that the story would instil the love for planting trees in people through the story of one man whose persistence turned a barren landscape at the foothills of the Alps into a beautiful forest.
The efforts of Siddaraju and his friends in greening their city stand as a reminder that systemic change requires not one hero, but the collective efforts of different groups of people. Over a decade, Siddaraju Jogi, and later, his friends, and then Chitradurga city’s residents, have quietly gone about the city, planting trees and watching over them to reduce dust and pollution in their city.
Like many acts of selflessness, this one too, had a trigger. The year 2009 was difficult for Siddaraju’s young daughter. She had breathing difficulties, which the doctor said was due to poor air quality. That made him think about other children in the city whose health suffered because of the air they breathed.
So, he began planting saplings in his neighbourhood and caring for them. He would get saplings which the Forest Department distributes free of cost for the Vanamahotsava (first week of July).
But gradually, his friends, who learned about what he was doing, began joining him and in 2016 they made it official and called themselves Target 10,000. They’ve planted about 20,700 trees all over the city, of which 13,400 are not just surviving, but thriving. One of the biggest problems with mass sapling-planting drives is that it ends there, with no plans of subsequent care.
Siddaraju, however, decided not to let Vanamahotsava (festival of forests) turn into “Vona mahotsava”, which in Kannada, roughly means ‘festival of withered plants’. “Before we begin planting saplings, we talk to the residents of the neighbourhood and convince them to care for the plants. Because of this, most of the trees survive,” Siddaraju says. These efforts have had a domino effect. “Initially we found it unique, so we too planted saplings. We have since motivated others in our neighbourhood to take it up. Now our whole area is clean and green,” says Rekha Santhosh Kumar, a resident of Vidyanagar.
Krishnamurthy, resident of Nehru Nagar, echoes similar thoughts. “When they requested us, we reluctantly agreed. But now, the trees give shade and we are happy. Now, we too ask other people to plant trees.”
Their collective efforts have ensured that the saplings planted years ago, are now 10-foot tall, healthy trees, that provide shade, fruit to birds, probably recharge groundwater and impact the ecology in many positive ways that most humans will never be aware of.
Initially, Siddaraju, a farmer who also owns a photocopy shop, planted saplings that the Forest Department provided free. But in 2017, he met Deputy Conservator of Forests K Chandrashekar Nayak who advised him on species more suited to an urban environment. Siddaraju and his friends then began procuring Honge, Neem, Peepal, Jamun, Jackfruit and Gulmohur with their own money.
“This has made the city clean and green. The department also provided knowledge on types of trees that survive in this climate. We chose species that provide shade, fruit for birds and animals, and release more oxygen. People too are happy about obtaining knowledge about trees, and learning about environment protection,” says Nayak.
Another person whom Siddaraju is immensely thankful to is S P Radhika, Principal of Government Arts and Science College, who helps them water the saplings and trees. “I planted trees to preserve biodiversity, reduce pollution in the city with the hope that children have a good environment to live in,” Siddaraju says. On the day that you read this, Siddaraju and his friends are watering and pruning trees in a locality which they chose on Friday and Saturday during their weekly rounds to chek on the trees’ health.