Assam’s math teacher mobilises students, plants thousands of trees in remote Kokrajhar

Common people can make a big difference to global issues like degradation of the environment and reduction of green cover. Doing this is Jahar Bhowmick, a mathematics teacher in Assam’s Kokrajhar district, who has made it his mission to plant trees.

So far Bhowmick has planted and looked after thousands of trees as he believes that for humankind to stay alive, this is the way forward. Irrespective of his busy schedule, he always takes time out to do this work. As he spreads awareness about persevering the environment among his students, they too join him in his campaign.

It was in 2014 that this teacher got the idea of planting trees. The school – Charaikhola High School, located five kilometres from Kokrajhar — where he teaches was without electricity and during summer the heat was unbearable for both the staff and the students. He then decided that by making the area around the school green, the place can be made cooler. Talking to the media he said that now all the trees they had planted then had grown and the heat has become bearable.

After his school he decided to make the district green. In the beginning he spent money on his own for saplings, bamboo, net etc. Later he approached the social forestry department and they helped him with saplings. Along with his students, he has planted scores of trees around the town.

Bhowmick observed that golden langurs in the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary which is a protected habitat for the primate species and close to his school, used to come out of the reserve often in search of food and get hit by vehicles. This inspired him to plant fruit trees in the sanctuary to ensure that these animals get food in their habitat itself.

Today, Bhowmick is well-known in Kokrajhar. He was conferred the Bodoland Green Award by the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council for his green mission.