Bettiah (Bihar), Feb 12: A resident of Pipra village in Bihar’s West Champaran district has taken a vow to remain unmarried for environmental protection, similar to ‘Bhishma’ in ‘Dvapara yuga’ (in Hinduism, an age believed to be the best of the four yugas) took a vow of lifelong celibacy for his father’s happiness.
Gajendra Yadav, of Pipra village under Narwal Borwal Panchayat of Bagaha block, has planted about eight lakh saplings so far.
Yadav considers the trees his family and celebrates major festivals such as Dussehra, Diwali and Raksha Bandhan with them.
In a conversation with IANS, Yadav apprised that he is the eldest of four siblings and all of them are married.
He said he gets worried if his trees are harmed.
Yadav talked about how he was listening to the radio in his teens, wherein in a programme it was said that the environment would become unbalanced in the absence of trees, threatening all life on earth due to lack of oxygen.
Yadav changed the course of his life after that episode and dedicated himself to protecting the environment.
Marriage proposals started coming in for the modern day ‘Bhishma’ when he reached the suitable age, but Yadav stood firm on his ground and remained dedicated to his work.
Yadav mentioned how he once met Vikas Vaibhav, an IPS officer who was posted in Bagaha as the Superintendent of Police.
Yadav invited the SP to the banks of Semarkol Tirhut canal of the panchayat, which was known for being an area where crimes like rape, murder and theft were common.