His tryst with nature began several years ago. Rabin grew up in the tree-lined streets of Bakul Bagan Road, Bhowanipore. The locality was lined with rare trees like Chattim, Bakul, bay leaf, turmeric, cinnamon. Several years later, he was shocked at the random felling of trees in the area by the municipality. "My heart broke as I saw my childhood locality turn bare. Everything was grey. And worst of all, nobody cared." So Rabin, a man of humble background—he worked as a typist—took the onus on himself. The instinctive environmentalist began planting trees and took care of them.
Today the trees have grown and the old man is happy.
Cleaning of the Adi Ganga is next on his agenda. The canal flows from the Hooghly river towards the southeast winding past Kidderpore, Bhowanipore, Kalighat, Tollygunge and Alipore to reach the Vidyadhari river in the Sunderbans. Over 200 km long, it is one of the filthiest canals of Calcutta. Two hundred years ago, Major Tolly, a British officer, had dredged the canal for pilgrims at the Kalighat temple. It has since been an integral part of the city’s cultural history.
Rabin, a regular at the Kalighat evening prayers, one day observed a mother warning a little girl not to bathe in the water. From this nadir, it seemed an impossible task to clean the canal but he took on the cause.
Rabin received letters of solidarity but hardly anyone came forward. Asked for the list of supporters, he blushes. The veteran activist flips through his worn-out files, carefully picks out a small fragile piece of paper and reads out a note from Mother Teresa.
Rabin went about the task employing time-tested strategies. For starters, it was necessary to spread awareness. He lost no time. With his meagre income and a friend who would drop in occasionally, he plastered the walls with messages like "Save Adi Ganga" or "Help Save the Holy River."
They were everywhere. He made sure that the messages were written in Bengali and Hindi. Next came the countless dharnas and roadside meetings. He even printed handbills and visited Harish Park to gift balloons with public service messages to children. On a Sunday you’ll still see him there. He frequently treks 130 km from Kidderpore to Canning in South 24 Parganas to raise people’s conscience on both sides of the canal. Rabin is one of those old-school campaigners who believe the nexus of sponsor and sponsorship is best kept at bay. Once when a jeweller wanted to bear the cost of printing his handbills provided his establishment’s name was highlighted, Rabin put his foot down.
In the late ’90s, West Bengal started getting a facelift but neither the state nor the municipality cared for the Adi Ganga. Rabin persisted with his campaign. Finally, in ’02-03 the central government launched an initiative to dredge a portion of the canal. But it was abruptly discontinued and the Adi Ganga is getting back to the filth.
Rabin continues his fight despite the odds. A sizeable chunk of his retirement benefits have already been spent on a creek that people consider "holy". Will Rabin live to see his creek restored and the city turn green? The Greenman is not sure. But his struggle goes on.
Contact him at: Rabin Pal, ‘Greenman’ Balaram Bose Ghat Road, Calcutta—700025.
