Lone cop's crazy green trip' against climate change in Alappuzha

ALAPPUZHA: V. Vidhyadharan, an environmentalist and sub-inspector of police (intelligence), 55, began his “crazy green journey” at age 15 out of mere curiosity, but it soon turned an obsession. For many locals, it was a sheer “out-of-mind activity” in his 30s and 40s. Now a few months away from retirement, his passion for the green persists, unstoppable. He has planted 50,000 trees along the length and breadth of the district, over the years, giving shelter to people under the scorching sun. Some find them as a good sales joint.

He doesn’t take any credit for that. He doesn’t feel proud either. He believes even under a creeper people can experience the presence of God, and that’s enough for him. “I do it not for recognition or publicity. I did what I wanted to do. It’s my pleasure,” he said, as he planted a couple of saplings near Cherthala Railway Station, braving heavy rains, on Saturday.

Detested by reprimands of local people for what they describe as indiscriminate planting all over the walkways, he has become sort of addicted to it. “People often called me a fool, mad and useless. They’ve many doubts: Will it grow in this white soil? Can it root deeper near the tarred road? Who will look after them? Or if I didn’t have a better job to do?” he says.

“I will answer them patiently. Otherwise, when I leave the spot, they’ll pull them out." Born in Areeparambu, a sleepy village near Cherthala, Mr Vidhyadharan can’t recall what was his motivation to embark on this mission. “It might have been the rebel inside me,” says the self-proclaimed atheist.

Even at this age, every morning he travels many kilometres in his vehicle with trees to find a suitable place to plant. He spends at least '6,000 every month for the purpose. A sapling needs at least 20 days of extreme care for healthy growth, he says, and for that, he buys manures and collects cow dung on the streets and squeezed tea power from tea stalls.

He began to plant shade trees and later fruit plants like mango and jackfruit trees. “Even today, I’ve planted three seeds of jackfruit tree near Cherthala Railway Station,” he says with a wry smile. “When I see people waiting under shades of my trees in town and flourishing wayside businesses, I get indescribable pleasure.”

Though he didn't want it, recognitions have come his way. You can see a plant named after him at the local police station, ordered by Nagaraju, former district police chief, impressed by his selfless service to conserve nature. Many government schools in districts like Alappuzha and Idukki also have plants named after him.

An “irreligious person,” he called his daughter by non-Hindu name Theresa and son Ashique. When Theresa married a few months back, he dispatched 20,000 fruit plant saplings to the groom’s house instead of dowry. “I don’t believe in caste or religion,” he explains. “My belief is in nature.” T.D. JoJo, the project coordinator of Bangalore-based NGO Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), terms his message as “sovereign.”

“When we look after a plant, we make our nature more transparent. The microbes convert toxic chemicals into sources of food and energy. It is also important to remember that the efficiency of plants as a filtering device increases as the concentration of chemicals in the air goes up. Considering these scientific facts, think about how Mr Vidhyadharan’s efforts help us."