Need some daily motivation? This man planted an entire forest all by himself.

Every now and then I’ll stare out the window and wonder to myself, what’s the point? 

But then I read about Jadav Payeng, AKA the “Forst Man of India”. He’s been spending his life growing an entire forest on this deserted island, and it’s working.

Assam, India is home to the Brahmaputra River. Over the years, soil erosion has been causing devastation along the river banks. Many of the river islands are being swept away and there are fears that the island of Majuli will sink in twenty years time.

It’s a pretty dreary outlook for the nice folks nearby in Jorhat, Jaad’s village.

As a kid, Jadav enjoyed playing in the forest. When he noticed that Majuli was a desert wasteland, he felt an urge to plant.

This was no joke. Jadav was only 16 when he started his life-long tree planting career. He instinctively decided to plant a variety of seeds. Biodiversity is key. But the initial hurdle was made difficult because of a general lack of seeds. 

It was a slow roll to start. Eventually, as his trees grew and produced seeds of their own he was able to expedite his tree-planting process.

Over the span of forty years, Jadav planted something like 1.5 million trees across 1,400 acres. 

Meanwhile, my cactus died.

“I have planted every tree by myself” - Jadav Payeng

What’s most interesting is that Jadav decided to do this out of his own sheer yearning for a greener world around him. This wasn’t meant to be a publicity stunt. He was discovered in 2008 when a herd of elephants wound up on Majuli Island -- until then everyone still figured it was a desert so this curious migration got some attention.

Majuli Island is now regularly visited by elephants, hippos, deer, tigers, monkeys, birds, reptiles… and people. 

Since stumbling upon Jadav’s magical forest island, the media can’t leave this guy alone. 

I’m one to talk.

Jadav has piqued the interest of scientists, journalists, YouTubers -- he’s been invited to speak at TEDx conferences, there are award-winning documentaries about Jadav, there’s even a children’s book. 

Jadav is heralded as a hero in India. And moreover around the world. 

Reforestation and regenerative practices are key in the fight against climate change. This is one guy who saved an entire island. Just imagine what could happen if the rest of us take action.