MADHYA PRADESH: This IPS officer wants you to make your birthday memorable – forever. Janamdin ko yaadgar banayein, vriksha lagayein, smriti ko amar banayein vriksha lagayein (plant a tree to make your birthday memorable, plant a tree to make your memories last forever). This is the slogan of Mahesh Chand Jain (55), a senior police officer of Madhya Pradesh, who since 1996 has been on a mission to plant trees to keep the environment clean and make one’s life’s events memorable.
Jain is DCP (Traffic) in MP’s biggest and most populated city, Indore. Since 1996, when he was the Sub Divisional Officer Police (SDOP) of Lateri division of Vidisha district, Jain has not only planted trees himself, but also motivated others, including police and administration workforce, besides commoners.
Jain travelled with saplings, shovels and pans in his official Mahindra SUV to plant saplings at temples, police stations and chaupals of every village of Vidisha district’s Lateri subdivision. Inspired by his zeal, villagers joined him.
The real journey of the green mission started on January 6, 1999, when Jain was the Circle SP (CSP) of the newly created Neemuch district.
“As the district was created in 1998, I lived in a private house in Revenue Colony and routinely watched students of Carmel Convent School in front of my house waiting under scorching sun outside the school. This is when I planted five trees on the birthday of my elder son Nihit on January 6, 1999, and the journey of making birthdays memorably green began,” Jain recalls.
Since then there was no looking back for him. He not only himself planted trees on his and family members’ birthdays and marriage anniversary, but also motivated other cops to replicate the unique initiative.
From Neemuch to Vidisha, Jabalpur to Chhatarpur, Hoshangabad to Indore and Khargone to Jhabua, Jain has not only guided in planting 50,000-plus trees in 25 years, but has regularly followed up and ensured that the planted saplings survive.
While Jain has carried with dedication his love for trees wherever he has been posted, it was his tenure (December 2016-early 2019) as the police superintendent of Jhabua that earned him the nickname of ‘Tree Man’. Sustained efforts powered by public participation that started in March 2017 transformed the 400 ft high and 2-km long barren Hathipawa hillock as Jhabua’s prime ecotourism spot.
“It was a hillock that remained barren despite all efforts in 15 years. The reason was the low quality of soil. Efforts to turn Hathipawa green began in association with the Jhabua district administration and forest department in March 2017. JCB machines from all police stations of Jhabua district were in action to dig pits. Then dumpers joined in carrying black soil to the hillock for the ambitious tree plantation drive. The spadework for the massive plantation drive was carried out every Sunday for nearly four months, which paved the way for planting 10,000 trees on July 8-9, 2017” Jain recounts.
Chandrabhan Singh Bhadauria, a senior journalist in the district, said seeing the transformation of Hathipawa hillock from barren to green was like a fairytale coming true. “He (Jain) made it a dream project and guided the plantation to mark various festivals and events.”
While Jain remained in Jhabua till early 2019, local people are still planting saplings on the hillock to mark their birthdays and also in memory of their forefathers, on the lines of Indore’s Pitra Parvat, said Bhadauria.
Posted in Indore since 2020 as the DCP (Traffic) of Indore police commissionerate, Jain is now eagerly awaiting a decline in Covid intensity before resuming his mission.
“I will be back once the pandemic impact starts to die down,” he says.
Re-living memories of earlier Indore stay
The tall Kadam trees that Jain planted in 2015 at Indore’s SP-GRP office are a proud testimony to his persistent efforts. “Being in Indore helps me relive the fond memories of my previous stints in the city as head of PTC and Government Railway Police SP,” he says.