On a quiet night in 2019, Dr Shankar Lal Garg, a retired professor with a passion for nature, was resting peacefully at his home in Indore. This tranquillity was shattered by an unexpected phone call that would test the limits of his endurance and resolve.

The voice on the other end delivered devastating news — his beloved forest, the culmination of years of dedication and labourious effort, had been set ablaze!

Sitting 40 km away from his carefully nurtured oasis, he could do nothing but offer silent prayers, hoping for a miracle to prevent the complete destruction of his dream.

As dawn broke, he hurried to the site, his heart heavy with dread. The sight that greeted him was a nightmare brought to life. In a cruel twist of fate, around 1,000 trees were reduced to nothing more than smouldering ash. The remnants of the forest lay charred and desolate, a stark contrast to the vibrant ecosystem he had laboured to create.

“It was so disheartening for me,” Dr Garg tells The Better India, the pain of that moment etched deeply into his memory.

For most, such a devastating setback might have been the end of the journey. But for him, it became a catalyst for resilience. Though the flames had consumed the physical manifestation of his dreams, they could not extinguish his spirit. In the face of this adversity, Dr Garg was determined to rebuild, to nurture life from the ashes.

Fast forward to eight years, the very same land ‘Keshar Parvat’, which was once a barren and rocky hillock, is transformed into a lush forest. Today, the land spanning 22 acres boasts over 40,000 thriving trees. This flourishing forest stands as an example to Dr Garg’s........

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