Now, there are at least 4,000-5,000 plants in the villages of Noorsarai block; residents do not just eat the fruits but also sell them for income
Rajeev Ranjan Bharti, a resident of Noorsarai in Nalanda district, Bihar, launched Mission Hariyali in 2016
Every day, a group of volunteers led by Rajeev Ranjan Bharti loads up a white minivan with 500-600 saplings and goes to schools, markets or other public places. Their mission is simple: to approach children and elders and convince them to take home one of the plants to sow at home as well as any available common space.
Bharti, a resident of Noorsarai in Nalanda district, and the volunteers have been going on such campaigns under the name ‘Mission Hariyali’ since 2016. “Until now, we have distributed and facilitated planting of 1.1 million trees in Nalanda, of which 0.8-0.9 million are guava trees,” says Bharti. Jackfruit, custard apple, mango and Indian gooseberry are some of the other plants that the total 33 volunteers across the district distribute.
As the name suggests, Mission Hariyali began with the purpose of bringing greenery to Nalanda district, explains Bharti. “My father is a doctor and my family has travelled quite a bit. I came to realise that in comparison to other places, our block is almost completely devoid of trees,” he recalls.
“In 2016, during the elections to the local panchayats, a few of us residents demanded that candidates promise to work on planting more trees; but they did not follow through after coming to power. Hence, we collected some money from family members and friends and bought saplings to plant ourselves,” says Bharti.
A few months later, the volunteers bought 50-60 guava plants but were unsure of where to plant them. So, Bharti contacted his children’s school and asked if he could distribute saplings to students.
“When we went to the schools, several children told us that they are aware of the benefits of fruits, and would like to plant saplings. From here, we started going to more schools,” says Bharti. “We find that even if the adults fail to care for the saplings they take from us, the children never do so,” he adds.
Riya Kumari, a student of class 7 in Shamabad village, Rahui block, says, “I got an Indian gooseberry plant from Mission Hariyali two months ago. The volunteers have told me all the benefits of this plant and guided me on growing and caring for it; I try to follow their instructions exactly.”
The return of trees in Nalanda has had multiple benefits. Ranjit Kumar, a resident of Beldari village in Noorsarai block, says, “A few years ago, our village had hardly three to four fruit trees and people would fight over the produce. Now, there are at least 4,000-5,000 plants; residents do not just eat the fruits but also sell them for income.”
“We have now begun distributing mahogany plants as well, as the wood fetches good income. We will continue to do daily campaigns for all plants for as long as we can,” says Bharti.
This was first published in the February 16-28, 2023 print edition of Down To Earth
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