Sayaji Shinde, known for films like ‘Shool’, ‘Sarkar Raj’ and ‘Sanju’, has planted over 6.5 lakh trees across Maharashtra through his environmental movement Sahyadri Devrai. The actor said that the work started out of love for his mother and then there was a greater effort to restore the green cover. He first planted 2,000 trees in his town before expanding the initiative to various locations.
Sayaji Shinde’s tree plantations in Maharashtra
Indian Express reports that Sayaji Shinde spoke about her journey in interviews with Uncut and Ashish Vidyarthi on the actor’s YouTube channel. Shinde was born in a farmer’s family in the Satara district of Maharashtra. His family lost the land in 1978 when the government acquired it for a dam project.“The government took away money from the people. They took our land in 1978 and gave us a replacement in 2022,” Shinde recalled while speaking to Uncut.Before entering films, Shinde worked as a supervisor in the irrigation department. He later pursued a career in film, but said fame alone did not satisfy him.“Everyone wants to earn name and fame. But I wanted to go beyond,” he said in an interview with Ashish Vidyarthi.
How Sayaji Shinde honored his mother with trees
Shinde said the idea came about in 2016 during a drought-like situation in Maharashtra. He saw the villagers sitting in a wide field without any trees under the hot sun.“When we went to help the villagers, we saw a huge meeting taking place in a wide field under the hot sun. There was not a single tree anywhere. Then it struck me, the first step to help the villages was to plant trees.”His mother was 92 years old at the time. “I realized that I could not keep my mother with me until her last breath. He was already 92 years old, and I loved him the most in this world,” he said.Shinde then weighed against the seeds and decided to plant them across Maharashtra. He believed that the trees would keep his memory alive through flowers, fruits, shade and scents.Through Sahyadri Devrai, Shinde now works in 48 locations. In addition, he has helped to transplant more than 200 banyans and plans to convert his land into a nursery for more trees.
