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. |
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Volunteer
Premraj Sahu loads his basket with tree
seedlings every morning before beginning
his ride to neighboring villages - some
20 to 30 miles away.
Premraj models exactly what
the learning center represents: people
sharing their knowledge with others.
“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.”
At age 70, Premraj rides many miles on
his bike each day to tell children in
villages how to grow and care for fruit
trees.
Class discussions are also fun. Premraj
draws upon his years of experience to
tell the children humorous stories.
In Premraj's “hands-on”
demonstration the children
learn by doing. He is a living example of
the concept of “one teaches
two”.
Back at the Learning Center, Premraj also
teaches adults how to start their own
nursery. “A canopy of grasses is
very important to protect the young trees
from the sun.
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