Sarvanan, from Tamil Nadu, Single handedly Creates Forest in Barren Land Spread over 100 Acres

Sarvanan is an perfect example of Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote, " Be the change you wish to see in the world"

A true environmentalist at heart, Sarvanan has dedicated nearing to 25 years of his life to turn barren land into a green luscious forest spread over 100 acres, now known as the Aranya Forest and Sanctuary in Poothuraj village, Tamil Nadu.

In the year, 1994, Joss Brooks, an Australian who played a role in restoring Auroville's ecology, invited Saravanan to join the Auroville Green Work Resource Centre (AGWRC) as a teaching assistant. Brooks has learnt about his passion for the environment in a rally.

Impressed with his work, co-members of AGWRC, Rauf Ali and Nevi, who originally started Aranya, gave him the responsibility to look after the place and develop the ecology.

Although Saravanan, was honoured with the responsibility, it was indeed a bold commitment. The land was devoid of any vegetation and though several individuals and experts have tried planting but no one recorded any success. Even the grass refuse to grow.

You might be wondering what gave Saravanan, a class 12 graduate, the confidence to transform such as humongous land into a forest?

Sarvanan stated, it was my family, I have grown up seeing my mother, father and uncles always fighting against the development that comes at the cost of the environment. I participated in the 100-day march "Save the Western Ghats' rally though initially I did not understand much, I knew infrastructure development had big repercussions. So, when I got a chance to make a difference in Auroville, I grabbed it. Other failures did not deter me, their mistakes became my learning curve.

Thanks to his exemplary work as well as dedication, the forest has over a crore tree and 900 species of indigenous plants such Gloriosa Superba, diospyros Melanoxylon, Memecylon Umbellatum and Derris Ovalifolia. The forest is home to six man-made water bodies and pristine ravines.

Nearly 240 varieties of birds, 54 butterfly species and 20 species of snakes further enhance the compelling biodiversity of the forest. It is also an haven for both rare as well as endangered species such as Felis Chaus(Jungle Cat), Viverrricula indica(civets), Canis aureus(jackals) Bubo bubo(Eagle owls) and Varanus bengalensis(Monitor Lizards).