: Odisha Engineer Spends Rs 4 Lakh To Plant Thousands Of Trees, Revive 12 Ponds #IndiaNEWS #Environment From his very childhood, Odisha’s Sagar Pradhan has chased his dream of writing. The 30-year-old

Odisha Engineer Spends Rs 4 Lakh To Plant Thousands Of Trees, Revive 12 Ponds #IndiaNEWS #Environment
From his very childhood, Odisha’s Sagar Pradhan has chased his dream of writing. The 30-year-old is both an author and a software engineer, from Mallikeswarpur village. He recalls how he would pen academic notes for his friends and distribute the copies.
“As we moved to higher classes, our textbooks kept changing. At times, we needed to go back to old books for academic references. I prepared a book that merged the academics from Classes VII, VIII and IX. So instead of having multiple copies, one book would suffice. The book was divided into three sections — beginner, immediate and advanced — which helped simplify the content,??? Sagar tells The Better India.
As Sagar’s writing improved, he also became the editor of a science magazine in his school. However, he felt there was a problem. His love for writing demanded the use of paper, which came from cutting trees. “I realised that writing and printing books impacted the environment at large. Also, the credit would always go to the writer and publisher, but never to the trees and their role in literature,??? he says.
To make up for the loss to the environment, Sagar decided to use his royalty earnings as an author for conservation activities. Since 2008, he has helped plant thousands of trees and revived 12 ponds across India. In 2020, his work earned him the World Environment Day Award from the United Nations.
A way to give back to nature
Some of the plantation by Sagar.
“I was affected by the number of trees that required to be cut to produce paper, and started planting saplings. In 2007 and 2008, I wrote three books — Mathematics For U, Bigyan Katha, a quarterly magazine, and Bihanga, an Odia poetry book. The books were published locally, and the earnings were used for tree plantation and distribution of seeds to encourage people for the cause,??? Sagar says.
Simultaneously, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 2012, and since then has been working with software companies.
“I started planting trees along roads and other residential areas. Locals initially supported me, but later began complaining that the tree would obstruct their view or prevent sunlight from entering their houses,??? Sagar says, adding many people also asked if he had the permissions to plant the trees in public places.
To deal with the resistance, Sagar decided to participate in plantation drives conducted by NGOs in the village and surrounding areas. He began sending parts of his royalty to various NGOs across the country. “I sent money to organisations that claimed to work for tree plantation. But ensuring the work reached the right hands became difficult,??? Sagar adds.

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