While we all know about the Pride of Assam the Forest man of India , Jadav Payeng – a name that itself says it all. But there is also an extraordinary woman in India who built a forest on her own in her backyard .
88 Year old Kollakkayil Devaki Amma started planting trees in her back garden, which now covers five acres of land. She had an extreme love for environment and deep concern over the drastic change of climate.
Devaki Amma’s grandfather was an inspiration for her . Being a vaidyan he inspired and influenced Devaki Amma to cultivate her love for Horticulture . She further got wings to develop the art of horticulture after getting married to Gopalkrishna Pillai. Her husband was an English teacher with a family where all women were engaged in agricultural work. Devaki Amma used to assist her mother-in-law in cultivating paddy until 1980 when she unfortunately met with an accident and injured her leg and was advised not to walk for a couple of years . However the love for farming which was still there inside her. So three years after her accident she planted a sapling in her backyard and the process gradually followed with the plantations of saplings one after another . With time and with her consistent efforts she created a lush green forest spread over five acres of land in her private property in Onattukara region in Alappuzha district of Kerala.
Her family always stood as a moral support in her mission . Her husband Gopalkrishna Pillai , always brought her different varieties of seeds every day. Also her family including her children and relatives and friends too supported her and brought her several species of plant saplings to encourage her.
While keeping the sole aim of protecting the environment intact , Devaki Amma uses only green organic manure for her plants and trees. The forest is a home to over 3000 trees including Teak, Mahagony, Tamarind, Mango, Pine, Bamboo, etc. The forest also has some rare plants like Lakshmi Tharu, Chinese Orange, etc.
Also apart from being an abundant source of around 1000 different variety of trees supplying fruits, vegetables and flowers, there are also ponds, a wetland and animals like cows, buffaloes, oxen, etc. which has been nurtured by Devaki Amma all by herself. This extraordinary effort has led to the presence of exotic and migratory birds in the forest .
Devki Amma says, “Instead of restricting the birds and animals by putting nets, I have made water and nest provisions for them. As a result, you can see peacock, monkeys, and exotic birds like Amur Falcon, Bluethroat, Black Winged Stilt and Emerald Dove in the forest.”
However she stresseson the need to neutralise carbon footprints to prevent environmental degradation and to curb environmental pollution,
She further says that , Planting a tree is the most effective option. Her family is cancelling carbon footprints by planting trees for four decades now. She has also made rain water harvesting facilities available in order to deal with the water problems.
Despite her age she still enjoys her walk around her forest and takes care of the plants like a mother . However she has persons hired to take care of her massive forest .
