He fought Delhi’s smog, led campaigns, and pushed policies. But when the city wouldn’t change, Jai Dhar Gupta did. Now, he’s turning hills into India’s first private biosphere.
In 2013, while training for a marathon, Jai was hit by pollution-induced asthma — a wake-up call that turned him into a clean-air crusader, leading the Our Right to Breathe campaign and pushing Odd-Even reforms.
But one truth hit hard: no one wanted real change. So, he built his own kind of hope in Uttarakhand on a 32-acre patch of barren land near Rajaji Tiger Reserve. Where others saw wasteland, Jai saw a chance to heal the earth.
For his 50th birthday, he made a wild promise to spend the rest of his life rewilding this land into a living forest. “I always dreamt of being the chowkidar of a forest,” he smiles.
He teamed up with Vijay Dhasmana, the man who revived the Aravalli Biodiversity Park. Together, they set out to build India’s first private biosphere — a model of hope and restoration.
But the land was stripped of its natural contours and suffocated by 5,000 thirsty eucalyptus trees. The first step: remove every single one.
Then came months of mapping, restoring, and planting over 60 native species — medicinal grasses, wildflowers, and trees that once thrived around Rajaji. Slowly, life began to return.
Two and a half years later, the miracle unfolded — a lush forest alive with 132 native plant species, elephants, leopards, birds, insects, and fungi. The saplings he planted are now about six feet high
There are no vehicles or plastic allowed inside. Electric utility vehicles move silently. Homes are made without cement — lightweight, prefabricated, and temporary.
He calls it the Rajaji Raghati Biosphere, inspired by Avatar’s Pandora. Today, it’s a training ground for IFS officers and a living example of what rewilding can achieve. “I feel like the richest man alive,” says Jai.