At a time when people are felling trees on their land for construction activities, a 53-year-old man at Adimali in Idukki has converted three acres of his property into a thick forest to protect the ecosystem.
It took 30 years of hard work for Bulbendran, a former KSRTC driver, and his wife Sujatha, 50, to convert their land into a forest where different species of snakes, birds, butterflies, squirrels and rare varieties of frogs now inhabit. Bulbendran took up biological conservation as a full time activity after taking voluntary retirement from KSRTC in 2015.
In fact, Bulbendran has named the forest as Nilgiri Green Valley Botanical Garden where he has a house amidst the thick forest. “I have been planting trees suitable for the ecosystem of the region for the past 30 years. We have never used any fertilisers or chemicals as manure. The trees and other plants have grown just as normally like in a forest. Snakes and other species became part of the forest on its own,” Bulbendran said, adding that he decided to make a forest of his own on his property as a message to people about the need to protect the ecosystem.
“I got the property from my forefathers. Though there were several purchase offers for the property as it is situated in a scenic location, I wanted to create a small oasis of greenery,” he said. In the initial days, Bulbendran and his wife used to spend hours on the land taking care of the saplings. Even Bulbendran had to spend money from his pocket to buy a few rare varieties of plants for the forest which now has over 400 varieties of plants.
He also built a small pond on the property to provide water for the wildlife that began to frequent the area. Today, his property is a thriving ecosystem that is home to a wide variety of birds, animals, and insects.
“We get visitors regularly to enjoy the scenic beauty of the forest and to learn more about the trees and the plants,” he added. Bulbendran is also a trained snake rescuer of the forest department. He has also won several awards and recognitions for his environment protection activities. His elder son Sabari B is abroad working in an oil rig and his daughter Shankari is a journalist in Karnataka where she has settled with her husband.
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