Daring Dalit starts green revolution against myth

Kendrapara: In Orissa there was an age-old belief that if a Dalit grows a coconut tree, then a member of his family would die. But in the last two decades, a Dalit man has broken the myth and brought about a green revolution.
Barely a few hundred metres from the Aliaha village in Kendrapara district, 46-year-old Nirakar Mallick is the proud custodian of hundreds of beautiful coconut trees.
But two decades back, the Brahmin community, which used to profit from growing these trees, had prohibited the Dalits from planting them.
But Nirakar became the first Dalit in the area to challenge the selfish myth, which the villagers allege was spread by the upper caste because they wanted to reap the benefits of the coconut plantations alone.
“I was vehemently opposed by the upper caste people for planting coconut trees. They threatened me that someone in my family will die if I planted the tree. But I did not listen to them and of course on one died in my family," Mallick, who is also known as green man, says.
In the last two decades, Nirakar has planted 10,000 trees in 10 acres of government land. A driver by profession in the state lift irrigation department, Nirakar spends more than Rs 500 of his monthly Rs 3000 salary on his agricultural venture. And understanding the benefits of this plantation, the villagers who once opposed Nirakar's efforts, now support him.
"We are very impressed by his efforts. There was barren land all around. We could not find shade to rest. But now due to such massive plantation, the total face of this area has changed and we all benefit from it," Shivprasad Sahoo, a village elderly, says.
Nirakar is not ready to stop just yet. He wants the future generations to reap the benefits of his struggle. And it is for this reason that he regularly visits nearby schools and encourages students to participate in his mission. His dream is to plant at least 1 lakh trees in the area before he dies.
(With inputs from Amiya Pani)