English Social Heroes

Honoured to share the story of an extraordinary man  Mr. Antaryami Sahoo from Odisha, a 75-Year-Old man known as ‘Tree Teacher’ after planting 30,000 Trees whose goal is to protect the environment and wildlife by planting thousands of trees in public areas, alongside creating awareness through handmade posters.

Antaryami Sahoo was only  11 years old when he planted his first plant..it was a banyan sapling on his school premises, as an individual effort out of his love for trees and the environment.

Since then, every year, he has planted many trees in public spaces around his village. His love for trees heightened with age, and later when he joined as a teacher in Siletpada UP school, he started motivating students there to follow the same.

During his tenure as a teacher, Antaryami planted thousands of trees in school backyards, public spaces around villages, and the roadside. he also spread awareness about wildlife preservation among the village residents. His tremendous work over the years has earned him the name Gachha sir, which means ‘tree’ in Odiya.

Antaryami is now 75 years old but works with the same spirit and passion. He always tried to plant saplings such as sal, teak, banyan, mango, Indian beal, fig, and other native species. He continues to plant trees even today and has planted over 30,000 trees now, which have been detailed area-wise.
But as Antaryami worked more for the cause, he realised that increasing greenery alone would not solve the state of the environment. Planting trees can only solve the environmental crisis. But protecting biodiversity and wildlife is equally important.

With no means like social media to create awareness among people, he started making handmade posters with drawings of animals and trees to emphasise the significance of saving them.
He made posters of around 40 local species such as honey bees, owls, deer, ladybugs, and birds. Further, he explained that  No life can exist without honey bees. Also, people hold parrots captive for trade, so he ran a campaign ‘Not To Be Caged’. he was so determined and thoughtful about his mission, he planted trees such as date, palm, and others that serve as a safe habitat for birds and insects.

Now recently he joined Facebook and shared his posters and receive appreciation too. His posters are being liked on Facebook. He is learning to be more active on this platform.

” The greatness of a Nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

                                                                                                    ~ Mahatma Gandhi

We should be kind to every kind, not just mankind But only a few who dare to make the different choices. Today we are sharing the story of Mr. Robin Singh who quit his business and came back from the US Choosing the path of service – helping those who can’t help themselves.

Mr.Robin Singh and his wife Shivani had always a passion to feed stray animals and helping them since childhood but had left for the US in 2003.

 While in the United States, Mr.Singh realised, No matter how carefully we live, we can’t stop doing harm to the environment and animals. With this thought, he even almost stopped consuming many things to make the least sufferings to the surrounding.

This thought encouraged Mr.Robin to leave his business in the United States and he came back to India to devote himself to this cause. At first,  He started a sterilization programme in Delhi and after that, he decided to move more closer to nature to Dhanotu Village in Dharamsala. This is how they started Peepal Farm in Dhanotu village, nearby Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, India with co-founders Shivani and Joellen in December 2014 where they started working for the improvement of life conditions of the stray animals, injured abandoned cows and dogs, and raising public awareness about animal cruelty. So they decided to do it in a way that involves and inspires others too. In the year 2015, after the completion of primary construction, the farm got open to people to volunteer and work in exchange for accommodation and vegan meals.

At present, this non-profit farm extended nearly one-and-a-half acres with an animal clinic, cowshed, and kennels. Apart from the three founders, the farm now has a staff of eight, including a veterinary doctor.

 Till now,  Peepal Farm has rescued and rehabilitated around 300 dogs, cows, donkeys, mules, and horses. The farm produces all the organic products where they don’t Consume any animal product, including milk, in the farm.

It is the only place where large animals can recover in the large area, therefore the local admin refers such cases to Peepal Farm since 2017. Volunteers also organizing art projects to spread awareness to the public for kindness towards animals.

Peepal farm has been created with endurable items, such as mud, fetched wood, and stones. They work 24/7 throughout the year. They also run the ‘Desi Dog, Desi Log’ campaign where they try to adopt local dogs instead of foreign breed dogs.

Peepal farm also running an incredible Volunteer program where the interested candidates can look after the injured animals and also help around the farm. Peepal Farm also welcomes people offering to help with veterinary services, farming services, and gardening, etc. There is no charge for vets and farmers or people who can help spread the word.