Sachidanand Bharti

Sachidananda Bharati is a popular environmentalist activist, philanthropist and teacher from the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The first reason for his notability is tree plantation for which he was first influenced by the nearby movement. For conservation efforts, he received National Water Award, Swamiram Manavta Puraskar, Kedar Singh Rawat Environment Protection Award, etc. Honors, D.Litt degree from Uttarakhand Open University and aired for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Dachara program Mann Ki Baat on All India Radio. One episode that happened deserves special mention.
Sachchidanand Bharti was born in the year 1955 in village Gadkhark Malla, Uffrainkhal, in the inner Rath region of Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand.
After receiving primary education in village schools, he came to Gopeshwar in 1974 for higher education. He formed Yuva Nirman Samiti to promote creative works and ideas among the students in Post Graduate College, in the same period the famous Chipko movement was born there. And as a conscious student, he joined Chipko.
In the year 1976, Dasholi Village Swarajya Mandal organized a 45-day long tree plantation camp to prevent landslides in Joshimath. Mr. Bharti along with his one hundred young friends stayed in this camp for the whole 45 days. Today there is a very dense forest. Meanwhile, he formed the "Dalu Ka Dagdiya" (Friends of Trees) congregation on 4 August 1978 with the aim of developing friendship towards trees and plants. who are still active today. After completing his higher education in 1979, he returned to his village Ufraikhal and worked as a teacher in the village school and started working for solving the forest and environmental problems of the area. And in the year 1979, to stop the deforestation of this area, Mr. Satchidanand Bharti succeeded in conserving the forests by organizing people. Then from this place the work of promotion of forests started. Bharti organized an environmental camp. In this way, in July 1980, the first environmental camp was completed in Dudhatoli area.
At the end of the camp, everyone went to the nearby forest area and planted saplings. In order to run this work systematically, in 1982, he formed an organization 'Dudhatoli Lok Vikas Sansthan'. Some things were decided at the time of establishment itself.
If the work of environment promotion has to be done in our area, then full care will be taken that the basis of the organization should be the local people and indigenous resources. If you want to do afforestation, then you will have to prepare the plants you need yourself. That's why nurseries were made in villages and schools.
Environmental camps became the basis of the action plan. Efforts were made to involve men, women and children from five to ten nearby villages. Since the main subjects of the camps used to be grass, forest, water, farming etc., gradually women got associated with them. Then, from the discussions held in these camps, it was also decided that every village should have its own forest. It should also be made intensive so that the convenience of women for fuel, fodder etc. can be increased. In this way, after each camp, new organizations of women emerged in those villages. These women are called Mangal Dal.
Beginning in 1989, Sachchidanand Bharti started understanding the tradition of water along with forests in his area. That's why, with some mutual conversation, some style, some experiment, combine the work of water conservation in the mountains with the promotion of forests. This is called Pani Rakho Andolan. In Dudhatoli area, the work of making chawls started from Ufraikhal, from Gadkhark village. Today, in about 150 villages of this entire region, more than 30,000 chawls / skins have been prepared, which are filled with water throughout the year due to which the problem of water in the surrounding villages and the problem of fire in the forests are quite significant. It has gone too far. Ever since the work of water, chaal and skin started in Dudhatoli, since then the forests here have been protected from fire. Due to the chawls made in all the village forests, there is moisture in them even in the hot summer season and due to this greenery remains, fire does not take place. The Sukharaula river, which originates from the Ufraikhal forest, used to swell during the rains and then dry up in November itself. That's why it was named Sukhareela. Here from 1990 to 1998, there must have been a thousand water ponds - every single drop of water accumulated in all of them changed the character of Sukharaula. Even on dry days there was water in it. The name of the village was Gadkharak and the new river became Gadganga. Today Gadganga flows throughout the year. This work of Sachchidanand Bharati has therefore been made with great patience. In this, the target number, figures or money, not of rupees, has been used quietly. Protecting the forests raised like their own children, taking care of the essence of the tricks and skins, today in about 150 villages of the region, they are running with great rules and self-discipline. In such a situation, conservation of soil and water becomes a work of few centuries, not of two-four years. Not only in Uttarakhand, the seeds of improvement of all hilly areas are hidden in it. In the year 2001, Shri K.K. C. Sudarshan ji visited Ufrainkhal and inspected the works done by Bharti ji. Sudarshan ji saw the work done by Bharti ji in association with local people and Mahila Mangal Dals to save water and forests and appreciated the work.
Last year on June 27, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Sachchidananda Bhartiya in the Mann Ki Baat program. He said that if any work is done with true devotion and dedication then it can be successful. The way teacher Sachchidanand Bharti of Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand has done important work in water conservation, his efforts can be taken forward. Referring to the success of Sachchidanand Bharti, PM Modi said that earlier there was scarcity of water in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand, but Sachchidanand Bharti has made significant efforts in conserving water through his efforts, which is a commendable step.
== Awards ==
* Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration|Indira Gandhi Award, Government of India
* Mahatma Gandhi Award|Mahatma Gandhi National Award, Government of Madhya Pradesh
* Bhagirath Prayas Samman World Wide Fund
* Paryavaran Rakshak Award - Panjanya and Organization, India Publication
* Urav Deoras Samman, Lucknow
* Sanskriti Puraskar, New Delhi
* Swami Ram Humanity Award, photo
* Uttarakhand Green Award
* National Water Awards, New Delhi
* Timesboat Winner, New Delhi
Category:1955 births
Category:Activists from Uttarakhand
Category:Garhwali people
Category:Indian environmentalists
Category:People from Pauri Garhwal district