Meet the 36-YO Techie Creating ‘Oxygen Parks’ Across Rajasthan

If bruised feet could tell a story, the calluses and corns on Ajit Singh’s would script a bestseller. In 2023, the Rajasthan native slipped chappals (slippers) on his feet for the first time in five years to commemorate the fulfilment of the promise he made to himself of planting 51,000 trees across the landscape of Rajasthan’s Sikar, Bikaner, Jhunjhunu, Jaipur, Churu, Bhilwara and Tonk. 

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Till today, Ajit remains committed to his approach. 

Having grown up in Chhinchhas village of Rajasthan’s Sikar, Ajit (36) pursued his studies in computers, followed by a job as a software engineer. But his true calling lay in serving society.

“In 2016, my friends and I started visiting railway stations and hospitals in Rajasthan on weekends and distributing food. Other times, we would clean garbage off the streets,” he shares. 

While he’d set his sights on helping the poor, a WhatsApp forward in 2019 became the inflection point of Ajit’s life. 

The message highlighted the worrying plight of Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region and its depleting groundwater reserves, on which, as reports indicate, seven million residents are dependent for their domestic and drinking needs, with no feasible alternative. Dipping groundwater tables were posing a problem for the region at large. 

That day itself, Ajit, dubbed the ‘tree man’ of his region, decided to train his gaze on green endeavours. The current impact of his work lies in the 80,000 trees that he has planted across the state. 

Creating ‘oxygen parks’ across Rajasthan  

Think of an oxygen park as a space with 5000 trees. Ajit has created 10 of these in Rajasthan — across Sikar’s Chhinchhas village (5), Tonk’s Bagri village, Bikaner’s Badrasar village and Sharah Nathaniya villages, Bhilwara’s Khohra Kalan village and Jaipur’s Sanjariya village. 

“We first narrow down on a space — typically schools, graveyards, ashrams (shelter homes). Then, we fence the area on all four sides after obtaining permission from the authorities. We plant the trees and then spend the next few years looking after their upkeep. Once the trees have grown to their full height, we remove the fencing.” 

In time, the oxygen parks become hubs of nature, while witnessing a renaissance of the region's biodiversity. 

Take, for instance, the five oxygen parks at Chhinchhas village flocked by sparrows, parrots, cuckoos, sarus cranes, and peacocks. At one of these, Ajit and his team have dug five artificial ponds, which also act as rainwater harvesting systems with a capacity of 200 litres each. Another acts as a repository of medicinal plants — arjuna, neem, tulsi (holy basil), giloi (heart-leaved moonseed). 

The beauty of such a space, Ajit explains, is that, instead of scattering their focus across different areas, it allows concentrated efforts. 

“When I started out planting trees, everyone would taunt me, ‘How do you even know whether the trees you are planting are surviving?’. So, we started following up on the maintenance of these trees, too.” 

Under his initiative ‘Dharti Maa Harit Shringar Yatra’, a village-to-village movement started last year, Ajit and his team of volunteers visit schools and colleges, planting around 200 saplings at these stops, while conducting awareness sessions around the importance of tree planting. Until now, they’ve visited 45 villages in Laxmangarh, Rajasthan. 

Financing these projects isn’t always easy, Ajit shares. 

“There was a time I was spending all my earnings on this.” 

Ajit’s family often discounted his work as a fevered delusion. “They would ask me why I was wasting my time on something where I wouldn’t see quick results.” But their doubts were cleared as the trees started growing, becoming ecosystems of fauna. 

On one particular day in 2022, Ajit and his team spent lakhs in a single day, planting 5,000 trees. 

“I ran out of money, but my wife mortgaged her jewellery to help us buy the saplings and irrigation equipment,” he shares. In a job like this, overnight results aren’t possible. But Ajit believes effort will reap rich dividends. Along with tree planting, Ajit and his team have dug two ponds (100 x 100 feet) in the Shekhawati region to allow rainwater to percolate into the ground. Last year, he says, there was a swell in the water table. 

Durga Hudda, Range Forest Officer of Sikar district, who assessed the area earlier this year, says it’s a breath of fresh air (literally) for the region. 

“We had done a site visit to check on the forests that Ajit has created. The forests are dense and close canopy. Despite the unavailability of water in the region, Ajit has done a good job of creating these forests. The land was barren for years before Ajit stepped in and grew forests here," she reasons. 

Meanwhile, the journey for Ajit has been allegorical. “Trees teach you the art of patience. They teach you the art of waiting, of working silently and letting the fruit come when it has to.” 

All pictures courtesy Ajit 

Sources 

'Assessment and monitoring of groundwater quality in semi–arid region': Published in Groundwater for Sustainable Development in October 2020.