Only God can make a Tree

In our Himalayas I wish we could follow the wise saying: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". After every monsoon's landslides we spend millions on 'curing' washed out roads, smashed bridges, destroyed villages. We're trying to hold up a mountain with stones -- like holding up your pants with egg yolks. (Those hens of mine will have their say or cluck!!) Every year we plant tens of thousands of trees in the 365 hectares of forest land above us. Once a 'night forest', now without one mature tree! It was a huge reservoir providing Kurseong abundant water. Our reforestation campaign gives the jobless work. Nice to be able to save the hungry today while saving the environment for tomorrow.

One of our chief concerns at SASAC is the Himalayan environment around us. When I came in '48, the 365 hectares of forest land above us was a 'night forest, so dark and damp children were afraid to go into it. Our land had far fewer trees. With hand sickles our girls are cutting away grass and bush to prepare for our diggers. Behind and below them is a gorge and a river. The opposite bank is our land. What a contrast! The forest land has no mature trees, our land is well-wooded indeed. With the blessing of the chief conservator of forests, we have been planting tens of thousands of saplings on this land. But even at that rate, to bring this forest back to its pristine state will take decades. 'But let us begin!'

These pictures were taken during re-planting. Each year we have to re-sow. In some sections saplings have been stolen. Then if the ones we plant during our monsoon re-forestation campaign don't take deep root, they wither during the dry months. When I came to Darjeeling 53 years ago, this 365-hectare forest stored far more water than Kurseong needed. Now every year there is a severe water shortage. Trucks carry water many kilometers from sources becoming rarer and rarer. Water once free, can now cost rupees 50 for 15 liters -- a day's pay for a worker. A forest doesn’t work well as water storage unless it is so thick no sunlight penetrates and there is no evaporation. So re-sowing is as important as sowing.

My older sister taught me to love poetry and one of the poems I loved as a young boy was: "I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree!"  I recited it thousands of times. I believed then with all my heart, as I believe now, that "only God can make a tree". They are his precious, beautiful and necessary gift.  My love of trees, my reverence for them has increased all through my life. During my 53 years in the Himalayas, I have witnessed with horror the devastating effect on our mountain environment because we have selfishly exploited trees. That is why on our little property, we have reserved enough land to prepare 300,00 saplings for planting in our annual re-forestation campaign.