Himmat Ram Bhambhu, then 18 years old, would spend most of his time at his ancestral home of Sukhwasi in Rajasthan, watching his grandma plant a Peepal tree. It had reached full size after 14 long years. Himmataram knew he had found his true calling when he witnessed how this tree provides shade and oxygen to the village’s citizens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At present, some 30 years later, as lakhs of trees across the district of Nagaur stand tall and firm, Himmataram stood in front of India’s President Ram Nath Kovind to receive the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civil accolade, on the 8th of November. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was recognised for his attempts to offer a secure habitat for birds and wildlife in his district by planting over three lakh trees. He even took out a loan in 1999 to buy 34 bighas of land in his drought-prone town of Harima so that he could plant a tiny forest of 16,000 native trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Himmataram is an uneducated man who studied till the sixth grade, he became a proficient mechanic after learning tractor maintenance in the early stages of farm mechanisation. He relies on farming to support his family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Himmatram has been fighting for the environment for years, planting trees in numerous locations around Rajasthan’s deserts. He continues to inspire environmental protection through trees and plants today. Until now, they have produced tens of thousands of trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n