A forest does not usually begin with one person, one patch of barren land and a few saplings. But in Assam, that is almost how the story of Jadav “Molai” Payeng began.Born on October 31, 1959, Payeng grew up in Assam’s Mising community and became deeply connected with the riverine landscape around the Brahmaputra. Decades ago, he began planting trees on a sandbar near Kokilamukh in Jorhat. He kept returning to the same land, caring for young plants and gradually expanding the green cover.The place is now known as Molai Forest, named after him. It is widely described as covering about 550 hectares, although government records show that parts of the plantation have been lost to the Brahmaputra’s erosion over time.Payeng eventually became known around the world as the “Forest Man of India”. In 2015, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri, recognising his contribution to forest conservation.But the most interesting part of his story is not the award. It is what happened long before anyone outside Assam knew his name.
The moment that changed his life
In 1979, Payeng witnessed something that stayed with him. Floodwaters had washed a large number of snakes onto a treeless sandbar. When the water receded, the snakes were left exposed to the intense heat and many died.Government material published by Assam’s Flood and River Erosion Management Agency describes how the teenage Payeng sought advice from elders after seeing the dead snakes. He was encouraged to plant bamboo, which could provide shade and help the barren stretch support life. The account says he began with bamboo and eventually moved towards creating a much larger forest.This is where the story takes a remarkable turn.What began as an attempt to provide shade did not remain a small plantation project. Payeng continued planting and tending trees, year after year. He worked on land that was not easy to cultivate and was constantly vulnerable to the Brahmaputra.
How a sandbar became Molai Forest
Payeng did not simply plant trees and walk away. He nurtured them. He continued adding plants and gradually helped create conditions in which a wider ecosystem could develop. Over time, the once-barren sandbar became a wooded landscape with different kinds of vegetation.The forest is associated with species such as arjun, ejar, goldmohur, koroi, moj and silk cotton, along with extensive bamboo. Government documentation on sustainable land management also identifies Payeng as a forest-conservation practitioner and describes Molai Forest as a 550-hectare forest created on a sandbar along the Brahmaputra.The story is sometimes presented as if one man planted an entire mature forest tree by tree. That makes for a powerful headline, but the reality is more nuanced.A forest becomes a forest through more than planting. Soil, water, insects, birds, natural regeneration and animal movement all play a part. Payeng himself has spoken about nature helping the forest develop, including the role of small organisms and natural processes.That is perhaps the deeper lesson of Molai Forest. Payeng started the process, but he did not create an ecosystem alone. He created the conditions for nature to take over some of the work.
When animals began returning
As the vegetation became denser, animals also began using the area. Molai Forest has been associated with Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceroses, deer, rabbits, monkeys, elephants and numerous bird species. A herd of elephants has also been reported to visit the forest regularly.The return of wildlife brought an unexpected complication. Forests can provide refuge for animals, but they can also bring animals closer to human settlements. Payeng has spoken about losing cattle and buffaloes to tigers. Instead of viewing the animals simply as the problem, he has criticised encroachment and destruction of forests for pushing wildlife towards people.Conservation is not always a neat story where people plant trees and wildlife lives happily alongside them. In Assam, the Brahmaputra’s shifting channels, erosion, human settlements, agriculture and wildlife movement create a much more complicated landscape.
How the world discovered the Forest Man
For many years, Payeng worked largely away from public attention. His efforts came to wider official notice in 2008, when forest officials entered the area while searching for a herd of elephants that had moved into the forest after damaging property in a nearby village. The officials were reportedly surprised to find such a large forest where they had expected a largely open landscape.His work then began receiving wider recognition.The Assam State Biodiversity Board has formally listed Payeng as the chairperson of expert committees connected with the evaluation and management of the Majuli Biodiversity Heritage Site.He was honoured at Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2012, and it was around this period that the description “Forest Man of India” became closely associated with him. In 2015, he received the Padma Shri.Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information and government records.
