Green Bug In A Brick Jungle

Amit Nath Hazra, 43, embarked on his mission in 1979. A grade IV employee in a private firm, he invests a large portion of his Rs 3,000 salary on Calcutta’s future. "I buy year-old saplings, plant and nurture them," says Hazra. He’s never received any monetary help and has declined awards, preferring to remain anonymous. "I have my share of well-wishers, but my detractors outnumber them," he says nonchalantly. From the very beginning, he had to face opposition. "Many people never understood what I was doing—I was purchasing saplings, digging pits along roads and planting them. For some unfathomable reason, people didn’t like me doing it. Under the cover of darkness, they used to destroy the fencings and uproot the saplings. People have even cut down trees that I once planted. Such incidents are painful. These trees are like my children."

His greatest battle till date has been against a confectionery, whose emissions used to stifle the saplings he planted on the road beside it. "I wrote to everyone and ultimately approached the Supreme Court praying that the owner of the confectionery be asked to instal a chimney. Ultimately, the court asked the state government to act and today, with the chimney installed, the saplings I planted have grown into healthy trees," Hazra says with a smile. Whenever the diminutive bachelor faces opposition, he shoots off letters to civic authorities, the police, the forest department, federal agencies and even organisations like Greenpeace. Pressure from these quarters has quietened many an opponent.

He has learnt many lessons over the years. One of them is that contrary to their claims, the rich are often unconcerned about the environment. Hazra was quick to realise that if his mission was to succeed, he needed the support of ordinary folk. "After sustained efforts, I’ve now managed to gain the confidence of some pavement dwellers who inform me about people who harm my plants. They live on the pavements and so they can keep an eye," he says.

Hazra picked up his love for trees from his father. "I was never good at studies and used to bunk classes to go wandering in parks and gardens. Nothing gives me greater joy than walking in the wild, hearing birds chirp. My father didn’t leave us much money. But I used a major portion of what he left to buy saplings, fertilisers and fencing material," he recalls. Hazra has coined attractive slogans on environment preservation in Hindi, Bengali and English that he paints on small steel plates and hangs on the protective fencing around the saplings. Hazra gifts saplings to friends and relatives. "A plant is the best gift one can give anyone," he says.

Decades of efforts have largely paid off, though not to the extent he would have liked. "Some people in my neighbourhood have realised the importance of trees and have started planting saplings on their own. Those living in apartments have potted plants adorning their balconies. Such spaces were bare till a few years ago. A group of children have formed a nature club and carry out tree plantation drives. But there’s a lot more that needs to be done," he says. As Hazra saunters down Vivekananda Road, he points to every tree he has planted. Many are fully grown while others are fledglings. He has constructed concrete benches at the bases of the trees for people to take a short breather. The road is one of the very few in Calcutta that remains cool during the sweltering summer, thanks to the lush green cover courtesy Hazra.

Amit Nath Hazra can be contacted at: 33/C, Sudhir Chatterjee Street, Calcutta—700006. Tel: (033) 22412946.