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Orissa, India
As Premraj Sahu walked into the small village classroom in Noagarh, Orissa, India, the chattering students suddenly became silent. Their full attention was riveted on this elderly man wearing a simple white cloth around his waist. I could feel the excitement in the room build instantly, as if the children were all thinking, "He's here!"
Orissa, India
As Premraj Sahu walked into the small village classroom in Noagarh, Orissa, India, the chattering students suddenly became silent. Their full attention was riveted on this elderly man wearing a simple white cloth around his waist. I could feel the excitement in the room build instantly, as if the children were all thinking, "He's here!"
At the age of seventy, Premraj Sahu has become a symbol of Trees for Life for the residents of hundreds of villages in India. Every morning, just after sunrise, he loads up the basket on his bicycle with fruit tree seedlings and rides to neighboring villages, some of which are 20 to 30 miles away. In the villages, he teaches school children and their families how to plant and care for the trees. Covering hundreds of miles on his bicycle in this way, he asks people for nothing in return.
In the village school, Premraj spoke with the children, telling stories and short, funny rhymes. The children responded with giggles of delight. Then Premraj asked the children why we need trees and what trees do for us. The students he called on would pop up on their feet and give the answer. Premraj would then smile say something to the rest of the class, and they'd break into laughter and exchange wide-eyed smiles.
When the class discussion was finished, we all went outside for a hands-on demonstration. The children gathered around Premraj, squatting down on a bare spot of earth. They were still totally engrossed in what he was doing and saying.
As a hole was being dug in the hard clay soil, Premraj squatted down and showed the children how to work with the earth, breaking up the larger clumps with their hands.
When a hole was scraped out large enough for a tree seedling, Premraj explained the correct size and depth to the children. Then he carefully placed a lemon tree seedling in the hole. He made sure that each child got a chance to place soil and compost back in the hole and then water the seedling.
When their work was finished, Premraj sat and spoke with the children for a few moments. He made a wide sweeping gesture with his hand, reminding them of the importance of what they had just done. He spoke of our connection with all of life, and our responsibility to care for the earth and share with others.
I tried to imagine Premraj doing this everyday ? riding his bicycle to the villages and working in the intense heat with the hard, dry soil. "What keeps him going?" I wondered. Then I heard what he was saying to the children, as if in answer to my question.
"The tree is a symbol of God," he said. "Trees give us life. Without them we cannot survive. They give us everything from oxygen to rain, food, timber for building houses and so much more." Then, folding his hands as if in prayer, he added, "We should honor the trees and not destroy them."
"When I see your smiles," he told the children, "it touches the deepest core of my heart. I've got no words to express my joy. If someone paid me all the money in the world, I would not be as happy as I am seeing the trees bearing fruit and being enjoyed by children like you."
The looks on the children's faces reminded me of my own children's awe in watching a magician. These kids seemed to hold the same deep respect and awe for Premraj Sahu. I could feel the inspiration and hope that he shared with the children filling me as well.
Fittingly, the name Premraj means "king of love." The true beauty of this king, I realized, is that he shows others how to earn their own crowns as well.
