As a child, Jagdish Kudiyal from Sirkot village of Dehradun always saw a spring flowing along with his ancestral fields and tea gardens. Surrounded by dense greenery, the spring, locally called gadera, served as a water source for the villagers.
However, growing up over the years in Kumaon valley, the 55-year-old also witnessed the environment deteriorating around him. There was rampant tree felling in the area which drastically reduced the green cover. This further impacted the groundwater table and the natural spring flowing through the year.
In the early 1990s, Jagdish became inspired by the Chipko movement. He decided to help repair the damage himself caused to the environment by planting saplings. Jagdish took the responsibility upon himself and started the initiative.
However, his individual efforts did not live up to his expectations, as the saplings fell victim to cattle grazing, animal stomping and youngsters destroying it for fun.
However, the relentless work of a single…
