The philosophy of Indian ecological thinking is reflected in a verse from the Matsya Purana, which establishes a relationship between natural elements: ten wells equal one bavi (cellar), ten bavis equal one pond, ten ponds equal one son, and ten sons equal one tree. This verse is a written expression of the collective memory of our eternal civilization, which firmly believes that human existence is impossible without water and forests.
The Significance of Trees and Tradition
This verse emphasizes the greater importance of a tree compared to a son. Although a son is the foundation of the family, a tree serves as support for generations. The traditions of Indian sages never viewed the environment merely as a feeling; they understood it through logic, proportions, and practical knowledge. Today, with historical success in tree planting achieved under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, this is a continuation of the tradition of sages who held a deep affection for nature.
Problems and Government Efforts
Uttar Pradesh has always been a land of sages, but it is regrettable that just a decade ago there was an extreme lack of environmental awareness here. Forest areas were shrinking, water bodies were drying up, and groundwater was being depleted because ecology did not take priority in the work of the government and administration. The most striking evidence of this indifference was that in 2017, when Yogi's government came to power, there were only five hundred thousand saplings in the forest department nurseries. This situation caused serious concern, and its consequences could affect many generations. Therefore, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took this problem on as a campaign and set ambitious goals.
Results of the Green Revolution
Tree planting involved public participation, and the responsibility of each person was defined. The result is that 242 billion saplings have been planted since 2017. In the same year, on Environment Day, fifty million saplings were planted, and a goal of planting 35 billion saplings in one day was set for July 12. The basis of this green revolution today is Uttar Pradesh, where more than 57 billion saplings have been prepared in nurseries.
Long-Term Vision and Motivation
Previously, campaigns for collective tree planting were also conducted in Uttar Pradesh. After gaining independence, many governments celebrated Forest Festivals and planted trees, but no long-term effect was observed because they did not think about creating a system to protect the planted plants after their transplantation. Work is now underway in this direction, and there is a high probability that about two-thirds of the 242 billion planted trees will grow into full-grown trees, leading to changes in the geography and climate of the state.
It is also appropriate to mention Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign 'One Tree, One Mother', which emotionally connects people with tree planting. This campaign psychologically motivates people to plant plants. People know that planting trees is good, but they still do not do it. When a tree is associated with a mother, it becomes a social duty. This campaign attempted to link the emotional connection of Indian society with the mother to environmental consciousness.
Climate Change and the Role of Trees
In this general context, one aspect is often ignored—the direct and destructive impact of climate change on farmers. The climate twenty-five years ago is very different from today, with a deviation of about a month and a half between them. For a farmer in Uttar Pradesh with two bighas of land, this one-and-a-half-month deviation puts his entire life in uncertainty. Delayed monsoons, early onset of winter, sudden hailstorms—all these are signs of climatic imbalance, the roots of which lie in deforestation. Tree planting is the most accessible and proven step towards solving this problem.
Modern Application of Ancient Knowledge
Here again is relevant the tradition of the sages. Our ancestors considered peepal and banyan sacred because they were trees with the greatest ecological benefit, and they had to be preserved at all costs. Digging a well was considered a virtue because water resource management should be a social value orientation, not a government program. The comparative importance of ponds and bavis mentioned in the Matsya Purana is actually a policy of water conservation expressed in religious language.
Today, this language can be changed, but knowledge cannot. What is happening in Uttar Pradesh is an attempt to revive this knowledge using modern policy and administrative will. Ecology must be seen not as an opposite to development, but as a prerequisite for it. Uttar Pradesh achieving a pace of development while simultaneously accelerating environmental protection is a great achievement.
The goal of 242 billion saplings and the daily target of 35 billion send a powerful signal to other states. The goal of carbon neutrality cannot remain only on paper; efforts must be made and implemented in practice to achieve it. Environmental protection is the duty of every society, every government, and every citizen, and fulfilling this duty does not require huge funds. It only requires remembering our eternal tradition of sages and constantly moving forward.