In Love With Trees: How Odisha's Bengalata Planted Saplings For 25 Years To Save Her Village From The Sea
After 1999 super cyclone devastated her village, Bengalata Rout made a vow to protect it by creating forests. At 61, she has stood by it.
Published : April 29, 2025 at 9:47 PM IST
Nimapada (Puri): Before the sun rises from the horizon reflecting its golden hues on the sea, Bengalata Rout walks barefoot into the forests where every tree knows her touch. From planting each of them, she has taken care and ensured they are not affected by salt water gushing from the sea. She moves around the forest, removes some fallen leaves and broken branches that lie dried in the rows of tall casuarinas.
The 61-year-old Bengalata has never taken a day off from this schedule, a ritual for her and stands by a promise she made to herself - to create forests that can protect her village Tandahar in Odisha’s Puri district. "If we do not take care of nature, why would nature care for us,?" is how Bengalata starts her conversation with ETV Bharat. "Each tree is a shield against the sea, a guardian of the village for years to come," says the woman who has relentlessly planted saplings to develop forests around her village and also in the periphery.
And this she has been doing for the last 25 years. Explaining her tryst with plantation, Bengalata reminisces the devastation 1999 super cyclone wreaked on Odisha. "Not one tree was left, not one house. People rebuild their houses as first priority, none thinks about replanting trees. With every blink of my eyes, I could see only broken and uprooted trees and plains that showed the sea, 500 metres from the village, menacingly coming forward, threatening to devour everything that came its way," narrates Bengalata.
Without waiting for anyone, Bengalata took it upon herself to shield her village from the sea’s fury. Her mission continues till date. Soon after the cyclone she met the forest department officials and asked them to give her saplings so that she can plant those. Bengalata convinced women from nearby villages and started tree plantation. The first drive was done with 40,000 saplings - juniper, kia, and coconut palms - which were planted on four hectares of barren coastline.
Within years, the trees had grown well when cyclone Fani struck and devastated the forests again. But Bengalata never felt disheartened. She immediately started planting more trees on the same places. Today, two thriving forests have come up in the area proving that where there is a will there is a way. "The vast stretches of trees are forming a crucial buffer between the sea and the villages. Even the newly formed sand dunes and forests have helped in reviving farming activities," says the green crusader.
Known affectionately as 'Benga Mausi', Bengalata is protective about her trees. "If anyone breaks a branch or plucks a leaf, it hurts me,” she says. Though the forests do not have proper roads, she along with her women brigade carry water from far off places to nurture the saplings. "We cannot afford the salt water to affect the trees. The salinity would kill all of it. So we carry water from our village to the forests," informs Bengalata. While she lost her husband a few years ago, her son, daughter in-law and grandson live with her.
Environmentalist Saroj Kumar Jena expressed his gratitude for Bengalata. “I do not think I have met anyone so dedicated to the cause of plantation. It is highly inspiring to see her leading a crusade to protect environment along the coast," he says saluting her work. Similarly, Sub-Divisional Forest Officer Sudarshan Dehuri appreciated Bengalata's one point agenda - to plant trees, take care of environment and protect her village. "She is unique. Apart from her plantation drives, she has saved more than 50,000 trees in the cyclone-prone zone.
Villagers like Subrata Swain and Jema Malik who work with Bengalata vouch for her bond with trees. “She doesn’t just plant trees to save environment and the village. She plants them because she loves them," they say.
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