Hailing from Sirkot, Uttarakhand, Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal was 18 years old when his father passed away. The pain was immense, but he wasn’t one to give up. Determined to honour his father’s memory, he worked tirelessly on the land his father had left behind.

At 20, with no formal training, Jagdish embarked on a mission to plant fruit trees, starting with guava and walnut. But things didn’t go as planned. “The trees I planted were not growing well, and the results were disappointing,” he confesses.

Despite the setbacks, Jagdish kept at it. He experimented with other tree species, such as seesham, deodar, oak, and rhododendron — species best suited to the harsh climate of the region. These trees began to thrive.

Initially, the villagers were sceptical. They doubted whether trees could grow in the rocky, arid soil of Sirkot. “They used to say, ‘What’s the point of planting trees here? Nothing will grow’,” Jagdish recalls.

The road to success was anything but easy. Jagdish, now 60, walked nearly five kilometres daily to care for his trees. Irregular rainfall and wandering cattle often trampled his saplings, but he kept going, continuously seeking ways to sustain his efforts.

He dug deeper into the soil to find underground water sources. Over time, the water levels began to rise, helping his trees flourish. Eventually, the land that once seemed barren began to show signs of life.

As the trees grew, Jagdish started sharing water with the villagers. “At first, people didn’t understand, but once they saw the water flow, they began to appreciate the work I had put in,” he says.

Jagdish expanded his work further by diversifying into tea cultivation. The government recognised his potential and encouraged him to start tea plantations. This not only improved the land but also created job opportunities for local residents.

In 2021, his work gained national attention when Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned him in his popular programme, Mann Ki Baat. “When I heard that the Prime Minister had mentioned my work, I was overjoyed,” he recalls.

Following the recognition, villagers started planting trees on their own lands. “People in my village now understand the importance of planting trees,” says Jagdish.

With over one lakh trees planted, Jagdish is determined to continue his mission. “I continue to plant more trees across various lands in my village,” he says.