I will be the hero of my biopic. I don't want anyone else to play my role if at all any biopic is made on me in future said Padmashri Jadav Molai Payeng, popularly known as "Forest man of India". The man who is said to have planted more than 4 crore trees was addressing India's biggest gathering of Environmental professionals representing some of the best-known corporate houses and public sector undertakings, and government bodies. He was addressing them on the opening day of the two-day National Summit on Tuesday in Hotel Taj Vivanta in Guwahati.
Jadav Molai Payeng graced the meeting as a guest of honour at the National Summit being organised by the New Delhi-based Greentech Foundation.
Replying to a question that hundreds of documentaries were already made about you and we understand that the plans were on the anvil to make a Bollywood movie on your life journey and who would you want your role to be in the movie. Na..Na..na...he said and added that “I will do my role. I may not know acting, but still, I can live in that role. What else a director or movie buff wanted, he replied. Explaining his journey to 250 plus who is who of environment professionals drawn from across India, he said, the only thing I know is planting trees. And I continue to do so till my last breath. I eat, sleep, drink, and breathe tree plantation. I can't think of anything beyond that, he said.
Unfortunately, there is not much land available in Assam to plant more trees, he added
I went on to plant saplings and seeds along a dry sandbar by the Brahmaputra in Assam, creating a forest that stands at 550 hectares today on the island of Majuli near Jorhat, he explained to the packed audience, who gave him thunderous applaud on his achievement.
He shared his new mission to make Mexico greener. He spoke about NGO Azteca, where he collaborated on environmental projects in Mexico which aim to plant 7 million trees in that country.
At the end of his talk, he also received a standing ovation from the audience when the emcee summarised his achievements as one man who has been planting trees for 43 years and developed a forest of 550 hectares and planted 4 crore plus saplings. The forest Molai Kathoni, located near Kokilamukh in Assam’s Jorhat district, is now the home to tigers, elephant herds, deer, rabbits and a wide diversity of native and migratory species and thousands of trees.
India is a slow, slow country. Things move very slow, unlike some of the countries I visited, he said.
Though there was little difficulty in understanding his accent, the audience paid rapt attention to what he said.
I always think about what I can do for my country. I am least bothered what my country can do for me, he said.