Jorhat-based environmentalist receives second Jadav Payeng Award

GUWAHATI

Anand Agarwala, an environmentalist and social activist based in central Assam’s Jorhat town, received the second Jadav Payeng International Award.

The award, instituted by the charitable Jyoti-Protap Education Trust, was conferred on him at a programme organised at Kaliapani in Jorhat district on Sunday (March 29, 2026). Named after Jadav Payeng, regarded as the Forest Man of India, the award carries ₹2 lakh and a citation. Kaliapani is about 335 km east of Guwahati.

Mr. Agarwala received the award in the presence of Mr. Payeng and a host of dignitaries, including the heads of three universities and Pitambar Dev Goswami, the chief abbot of the Auniati Satra, one of the oldest neo-Vaishnavite monasteries.

“The Earth is all we have. If we cannot protect our environment, we have nowhere else to go,” Mr. Agarwala, 67, said, acknowledging Mr. Payeng for “showing us the way through work, not through speeches”.

“We call ourselves the greatest creatures of God, but we harm nature the most,” he said. Kaliapani-based businessman and philanthropist Protap Saikia, who founded the award, said Mr. Agarwala’s contribution to the Assamese society and the protection of nature was immeasurable.

“He has dedicated his life to greening the world around him. He has also funded the education of at least 5,000 children and built a network of public toilets to ensure a cleaner Jorhat,” he told The Hindu.

The Jyoti-Protap Education Trust runs the Jyoti-Pratap Gyanmarg Vidyalaya, a digitally smart school that offers free education for children from marginalised families. Established six years ago, the school has 301 students. The school has carved out a niche for blending the best of traditional practices with robotics.