In the remote forested village of Sindri in Purulia’s Baghmundi block, Padma Shri awardee Dukhu Majhi lives a life of quiet suffering. Celebrated across the country for his relentless afforestation efforts, the 2024 Padma Shri recipient now survives under a crumbling tin-tiled roof, with rainwater seeping through mud walls as monsoon storms batter his fragile home.
Dukhu Majhi was awarded the Padma Shri for his outstanding contributions to environmental conservation through afforestation efforts. He is an environmental activist from Purulia, West Bengal, known for planting over 5,000 trees in his lifetime. His dedication to growing a forest and his unique methods of protecting saplings earned him recognition and the prestigious award.
Dukhu Majhi’s bond with nature was forged early in life. As a young boy helping his father, Mangal Majhi, a daily wage labourer, Dukhu once heard a speaker declare, “Without trees, there’s no oxygen.” Though he didn’t fully understand the science, the sentiment became his lifelong mantra.
Despite leaving school early, he poured himself into the land—planting saplings, nurturing roots, and transforming barren patches into lush groves. Roads like Charida-Birgram and Dava-Sindari now boast thick green canopies of banyan, palash, and shimul—all legacies of his tireless work.
In April 2024, Majhi was awarded the Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu, a moment of pride not only for Sindri but for the entire forest belt of Purulia. But the applause and ceremony faded quickly, leaving him behind in poverty.
Today, Majhi lives in a broken-down mud house patched with tarpaulin and propped up with bamboo. “The rain didn’t stop the entire night a few days ago. I couldn’t sleep. I feared the house would collapse over us,” says his wife, Fungi Majhi, her voice trembling.
Inside the modest dwelling, Dukhu stays with his disabled younger son, Shambhu. Ironically, a government-allocated home—meant for him—was granted instead to his elder son, Nirmal. “My name wasn’t included. There’s only one house allowed per household. So my son lives there,” says Majhi with resignation.
No room for awards
The family has no proper place to store the symbols of Dukhu’s legacy. “His Padma Shri and other awards are stuffed into a bag like old clothes. We have no cabinet or shelf to keep them safely,” says Fungi.
Baghmundi Block Development Officer Arya Tah defended the situation, stating, “He received a house under the housing project, but since it’s one household and his elder son lives there, Dukhu’s name couldn’t be separately included. Officially, he’s still the head of the family.”
A warrior who asks for nothing
Despite the hardships, Dukhu continues planting trees, unmoved by the indifference surrounding him. “I’m doing my work, as always. Whatever happens, happens,” he says with a tired smile, carrying saplings in one hand and quiet dignity in the other.
He says he has made only one request to those in power: a proper roof. “I asked everyone I met for a home. If I’d been given a house instead of the Padma Shri, I would at least have had a place to lay my head.”
As Sindri thrives under a canopy of trees planted by Majhi’s hands, his story raises an uncomfortable question: Is this the reward a nation gives to its environmental heroes—ceremonial medals, but no shelter from the rain?
While his contributions breathe life into the region, his own struggle for a dignified existence remains unmet. And as the rains continue to fall, the silence of those in power grows louder.