Stories
Campaign from Tatijhariya's Dudhmatiya forest unites 2000 villages to save trees
- •The Vriksh Rakshabandhan campaign was started in 1999 by teacher Mahadev Mahto and his associates in the Dudhmatiya forest of Tatijhariya block, Hazaribagh.
- •Every year on October 7, Van Mahotsav is celebrated in Dudhmatiya by worshiping Van Devi and tying sacred threads to trees.
- •The initiative has linked forest conservation with local faith, expanding to over 2,000 villages and successfully curbing illegal logging.
- •Jharkhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjeev Kumar praised the initiative, emphasizing that human life is secure only when forests are protected.
Key Questions Answered
The campaign began in 1999 in the Dudhmatiya forest of Tatijhariya block, Hazaribagh, when teacher Mahadev Mahto and his associates started 'Vriksh Rakshabandhan' to stop the indiscriminate felling of trees by explaining their importance to villagers through songs and public awareness.
The Dudhmatiya Van Mahotsav is organized every year on October 7 in the Dudhmatiya forest. The festival begins with the worship of Van Devi, after which villagers and nature lovers tie sacred rakhis to the trees and take a pledge to protect them.
The initiative has grown into a mass movement reaching over 2,000 villages, effectively curbing illegal logging through faith-based community awareness. Jharkhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjeev Kumar recently visited Dudhmatiya to appreciate the campaign and its impact on forest conservation.
