Nagendra Singh Jamwal
Having migrated from a village where every mango tree would have individual name on the basis of its distinct characteristics like taste, colour, flavour, texture, use, location and even status, it was a rude shock to me that city people hardly think about trees beyond wood, furniture, firewood and charcoal. Until I met O P Sharma Vidyarthi, a senior Indian Forest Service Officer in 2018. His interesting writeups on trees, plants and herbs in newspapers would throw light on uniqueness of each one of them. A soft spoken man with a strong desire to learn and an unsatiated urge for knowledge he proudly bears the tag of a lifelong learner; a scholar with Vidyarthi as his penname.
Born in village Rang, the abode of Chountra Mata shrine in Tehsil Ramnagar, young O P Sharma developed a keen sense of appreciation for flora and its strong connection with cultural traditions and social life of Dogras during his childhood. He embarked on a remarkable journey from rustic settings of Tehsil Ramnagar to the highest echelons of Indian Forest Service. Only a few people know that he was selected in 1984 through State Civil Services examination and had brief stint as Tehsildar. Not to be satisfied with his present station in life he qualified for the prestigious Indian Forest Service.
In a career spanning thirty three years, he had been assigned diverse postings in Department of Forests, Social Forestry, Soil Conservation, State Forest Research Institute and Wildlife Protection Department. However his biggest initiative for which he has received the maximum accolades has been the unique initiative of Tree Talk.
With a view to familiarize the impressionable minds of younger generation with the rich and unique natural heritage and biodiversity of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir the unique Series on Tree Talk was launched on 19th of December 2010 to coincide with United Nations declared International Decade of Biodiversity. The innovative Tree Talk initiative has gone a long way from the day of its inception and has successfully completed the decade on 19th of December 2020.
During its long journey, the Tree Talk has transformed into a mass movement involving all districts of UT’s of JK and Ladakh. The series brought biodiversity experts on one platform and inculcated a deep sense of pride among the ethnic communities with regard to their flora, its documentation, highlighting local knowledge and edible forest produce.
Tree Talk ensured wider participation at grass root level, interactions were mostly outdoor in the gardens, nurseries, schools, colleges, universities, and institutions civil as well as police. The tree talks were marked by on spot identification of plants and birds, Ayurvedic Unani way of medicinal plant utilization, innovation of cuisines based on wild plants, regular six month mass awareness in Jammu and six month in Kashmir as per durbar move rotation year after year.
Tree -Talk biodiversity awareness initiatives have proved very popular and have attracted people from different backgrounds be it army, police, paramilitary forces, botanists, zoologists, environmentalists, wildlifers, avian experts, folk healers, teachers, students and university scholars across the landscape of Jammu & Kashmir. Outdoor Tree Talk sessions enthused interest of participants in understanding nuances of different components of biodiversity, especially trees.
Vidyarthi has been of the firm view that trees nurture herbs, sustain shrub diversity, support climbers, operate as Carbon dioxide sinks and ooze life giving Oxygen. His Tree Talks are interesting and gripping spectacles emphasizing the significance of trees in nurturing civilizations, cultures, communities, vocabulary and food diversity. His Tree Talks have led to identification, conservation and preservation of sacred groves and trees which hold a venerable position in our sacred folklore and belief system.
Endowed with a multifaceted personality, OP Vidyarthi is a prolific writer with over forty six books on literary and forestry interests penned in Hindi, English and his favorite language Dogri. Beyond a distinguished officer he is an intellectual, innovator and motivator.
The participants of Tree Talk sessions get to familiarize themselves with lesser known medicinal plants, wild fruits – vegetables, scientific biodiversity nomenclature, besides traditional and vernacular names in Dogri, Gojri, Kashmiri, and Pahadi languages. It was indeed a pleasure to attend his Tree Talk sessions held at twin lakes of Surinsar and Mansar in 2018 and 2019 when hundreds of people listened to him with rapt attention and marveled at his excellence in removing Tree Blindness that is opening amazing vistas of natural heritage and appreciating the trees around our holy lakes.
His Tree Talk initiative has been able to unearth floral gems like the solitary Redwood tree in Yarika Tangmarg, Pistachio trees in Almond Villa Zabarban, Pohu sacred grove in Batpora in Kashmir. Similarly through this initiative he was able to discover the largest Toon tree ( Indian Mahogany ) in Rang village, Ramnagar, largest Kainth tree ( wild Pear ) at Sankri Devta shrine in Pancheri and a sacred grove of Maloongad ( Camel foot creeper ) at Baba Goran Samba.
Vidyarthi’s retirement has not dampened his spirits. His constant zeal and endeavors to preserve the nature have been recognized by the government. Recently he was nominated as non official member of J&K Biodiversity Council and Wildlife Board JK UT.
With over 1050 Tree Talk sessions in an illustrious decade to his credit he truly symbolizes what American poet Robert Frost wrote almost a century back, “The Woods are lovely, dark and deep but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.”
Follow our WhatsApp channel
