I started this acrylic painting many moons ago and never finished it (nothing new, for those who know me).   I saw a video about Jadav Payeng that inspired me to complete it.

“Forty years ago, Payeng —a then-16-year-old resident of Assam, India—discovered that snakes were dying on a barren Majuli Island due to a lack of shade.

This gruesome sight resonated strongly with Payeng, inspiring him to act. “When I saw it, I thought even we humans will have to die this way in the heat,” he told NPR. “It struck me.” Then and there, Payeng decided to dedicate his life to transforming the river island.”​

One Tree a Day

“He pledged to plant a sapling in Majuli Island’s sandy soil every day—an admirable act that would eventually culminate in Molai Forest, a lush 550-hectare (1,359.08 acres) woodland.”

“Covered in all kinds of different trees (starting “first with bamboo trees, then with cotton trees”), the island has flourished, attracting an abundant audience of animals that includes elephants, wild boars, and even Royal Bengal tigers.​”
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Man Spends 40 Years Planting a Tree on Barren Island Every Day, Now It’s a Giant Forest