Sundaram Tiwari from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district has worked to restore the Sai river by planting about 2 lakh trees, inspiring lakhs of people by walking thousands of kilometres across the country.
When the former Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, remarked in the Parliament, “We will take notice of the Sai river and work towards its betterment by taking the state government on board”, the acknowledgment came courtesy Sundaram Tiwari.
The 29-year-old environmentalist from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district has put the spotlight on Sai, a small tributary of the Gomti river in the state.
That is not the only time his efforts were recognised. Tiwari is known for cycling 18,000 km across the state for 14 months, the journey culminating in Delhi in June 2023, seeing two lakh saplings planted along the way.
His efforts have involved face-to-face dialogues, educational campaigns, and direct action initiatives like tree planting drives and river conservation projects. He has been featured across newspapers, websites, radio channels as well as television. He has also received more than 70 letters of appreciation from various state officials and authorities.
Tiwari’s environmental journey is marked by several key campaigns, which have left an indelible mark on the communities he came in contact with. He claims to have connected to nearly 10 lakh people for environment-related causes.
“In my childhood, I used to play in mango fields. As I grew up, I saw that the mango fields were gone. All 27 species of mangoes were gone,” says the environmentalist from Dariyapur Kot in his district. “It saddened me,” he adds.
Tiwari took a pledge to raise awareness about saving trees and animals. The pledge called for action. In 2016, he started travelling, walking and taking the bus across 24 districts of the state. He visited Bihar and Nepal as well.
Travelling changed him. He came across stories that motivated him. For instance, he learnt that people kept their wells, ponds and sacred trees intact, when there was a utility associated with them.
For his “Save Sai River” movement, he took a journey of 715 km across its banks to raise awareness. The tributary that runs through Uttar Pradesh has been under threat due to pollution, encroachment, and neglect.
As part of his efforts to restore the Sai, he organised many activities including Sai Poojan (worshipping the Sai), clean-up drives, signature campaigns and pilgrimages. These actions were designed to engage people from all walks of life, from school children to elders, in the shared responsibility of protecting their natural resources.
Tiwari’s belief that community involvement can foster a deeper connection with the environment has been at the heart of these campaigns.
Another breakthrough campaign was “One Tree for Pratapgarh”. This project encouraged every individual in the district to plant at least one tree, resulting in about two lakh trees being planted.
“I got schools involved as well. The basic requirement was for the schools to have a boundary, water supply and a caretaker for the saplings. It was a major success,” he says.
Tiwari also began a campaign titled “Aao Nadiyon Ko Jaane” (Come, Get to Know Rivers), aiming to educate the public, especially the youth, about rivers that sustain them. This push involved seminars, field visits, and interactive sessions to build awareness of the ecological and cultural significance of rivers.
He also organised virtual seminars on environmental issues, providing a platform for people from diverse locations to come together, learn, and exchange ideas about conservation.
This campaign not only allowed him to reach a wider audience but also helped build a network of environmentally conscious individuals across the country.
A couple of years ago, the environmentalist founded the Nature Green Future Trust, a non-governmental organisation. Although he didn’t receive any funds from the government or elsewhere, he got huge public support.
Tiwari recalls that a puncture-walla offered him Rs 100. An e-rickshaw puller offered him Rs 1100, which he had been saving for his son’s birthday. Several dhaba-wallahs offered him free food during his cycle-yatra and on-foot journeys.
“I know that mango trees lost in my childhood will not come back. But, no other trees must be uprooted anywhere. The garden is more than just a childhood memory. It is life,” he says. “I plan to walk across 350 more villages to raise awareness about the environment and to create more gardens.”
The lead image on top shows environmentalist Sundaram Tiwari with school children during his drive to plant saplings. (Photo courtesy of Sundaram Tiwari)
Kumar Gaurav is a multilingual audio-visual journalist from Bihar.
