Himmata Ram Bhambhu, a resident of the Nagaur district of Rajasthan, has planted five and a half lakh saplings since 1975. Not only this, three and a half lakh trees have been made out of these. It also includes a forest with 11 thousand trees on six acres. For this important contribution dedicated to the environment, he was recently awarded the Padma Shri.
He got the love for the environment in the form of sacraments. When Himmata Ram Bhambhu, a resident of Sukhwasi village in Nagaur district, was 18 years old, his grandmother had made him plant a Peepal plant and asked him to take full care of this plant. The result of the inspiration received from her grandmother on that day is that since 1975 till now Himmata Ram has planted about five and a half lakh saplings in every nook and corner of Rajasthan.
Himmata Ram bought six acres of land in Harima village near Nagaur and made a prosperous forest by planting 11 thousand saplings on it. Here 300 peacocks and animals and birds live in the natural environment. In a conversation, Himmata Ram said, human life is at most 100 years, but trees live for hundreds of years. Just this thought and the inspiration I got from my grandmother inspired me to do this work. I am satisfied that with what I have done. Today hundreds of animals and birds have got a natural environment to live in and I have also been able to make a small contribution in saving the environment.
Nagaur, the home district of 69-year-old Himmata Ram Bhambhu, is considered to be the beginning of the desert region. The water in most of the area is salty. When Himmata Ram himself was setting up the forest and dug a tube well for it, saltwater came at a depth of 250 feet. Himmata Ram Bhambhu not only used this saltwater but also created moisture in the land by stopping the rainwater in the field and growing trees from it. Today his cultivated forest is like an institution for the students studying the environment. Himmata Ram says that plants can grow even in saltwater. We have done this here. There are all kinds of trees in this forest.
It is said that he used to buy saplings from the forest department and give them to the people and keep in touch with them. He kept asking about the growth of the plants that were planted, so the plants could become trees. Along with the environment, love for animals and birds also increased. He is also associated with the Maneka Gandhi Organization People for Animals and has so far sent 13 poachers to jail. His work has been appreciated not only by the state and central government but also by various institutions.
In the year 2015, the Government of Rajasthan gave him the Rajiv Gandhi Environmental Protection Award. Awarded by UNESCO in the Environment category in 1999. The forest in Harima village inhabited by him is now seen as a successful model of agroforestry. Students from nearby schools come here for practical training.
Himmata Ram is not very educated. Studied till class six in Gogelao village school. He learned tractor repair in the early stages of farm mechanization and became a skilled mechanic. He runs his family by farming and this work. Himmata Ram has a son who does business.
