A Simple Act of Love

A critical moment for Trees for Life came in 1988. This one moment could easily have unraveled the efforts of hundreds of people. 

Plans for the Trees for Life guava tree giveaway were in full swing during my illness with dengue fever. Once again, the city of Allahabad was the site for the Kumbh Mela religious festival. It had been 12 years since I had attended the last festival in Allahabad. In January 1989, authorities were expecting more than ten million devout pilgrims from all over the world. 

Allahabad is well known for its excellent guava fruit. That’s one reason we had decided to distribute 300,000 guava tree saplings to the pilgrims as a form of communion called prasad.

It was taken for granted that these prized saplings would be well taken care of by the pilgrims because they were blessed by the holy men at the Mela as communion. The recipients would continue to share fruits and seeds from their trees with others for years to come.

Implementing this project was a huge task. We had to contract with dozens of tree nurseries, arrange transportation, have the saplings blessed by the spiritual leaders, build distribution booths, obtain permission from the local authorities, and publicize the event. 

The work started a year in advance of the Kumbh Mela. We anticipated that the most difficult task would be to enlist the help of the hundreds of volunteers needed to make all this happen. But long before the event, service clubs, youth groups, organizations, businesses, and individuals started to volunteer. It was obvious that the vision had caught the hearts and minds of the people. Magically, all the pieces of the puzzle started to come together by themselves. It was an experience to behold.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Three months before the event, a key government officer was transferred to a new position. His replacement, Mr. Gopal, did not approve of the sapling distribution that we had been planning. He canceled the permission given by his predecessor. His orders were final. He dismissed all appeals made by Trees for Life representatives. It was a crushing blow to the volunteers who had poured their hearts and souls into this effort.

As a last resort, I was asked to come to Allahabad from New Delhi to see what might be done. A delegation of the key leaders met me at the railroad station, and we went straight to a meeting that included 20 of the “who’s who” of Allahabad. The meeting lasted several hours. The situation seemed hopeless. The group commissioned me to approach Mr. Gopal by myself.

That evening, I went to see Mr. Gopal at his home. As he opened the door, he said, “I know who you are and why you have come.” It was obvious that he was expecting me and wanted to squash any hopes I might have brought with me.

He offered me a seat and then started to recite a litany of reasons why he had ordered the cancellation.

 “Mr. Mathur,” he said, “trees are being cut down all over India at an incredible rate. We are likely headed toward a major disaster. Your distribution of a few hundred thousand guava saplings would only create the false impression that a large number of trees are being planted. It would close people’s eyes to the fact that millions of trees are being destroyed.”

Mr. Gopal quoted several examples of how society ignores its problems and distracts people with nice, palatable messages. He asked me to stop this cheap publicity stunt and better utilize our time and resources to focus on the grave dangers of the widespread destruction of trees in India.

When he finished, he sat back in his chair, having settled his case.

After a long pause, I said, “Mr. Gopal, I did not come here to change your mind. I simply came to exchange perspectives. Let me share my perspective. My mother is old and quite sick. I do not know how much longer she may live. But suppose she was on her deathbed and asked me to give her a sip of water. Am I to refuse her that sip of water because I know she is going to die?

“Just as I know that my mother is sick, I am also well aware of the destruction of trees—not only in India, but all over the world. Giving a sip of water to a person even on their deathbed is simply an act of love. It may do more for the person who offers the water than for the recipient. For us, planting trees is not about statistics. It is an act of love—an act of worship—that kindles the hearts of those involved.”

My brief statement was followed by a long, uncomfortable silence. 

After what seemed a long time, I noticed a small tear in Mr. Gopal’s left eye. Then one appeared in his right eye. Soon tears were running down both his cheeks. He let the tears flow and did not wipe them away. Finally, he got up and walked into an adjoining room and closed the door behind him. I heard the click of a steel cabinet opening and closing. He came back in and without a word, he handed me a sizable stash of money … the largest contribution we had received up to that date.

Tears welled up in my eyes. We parted in silence. He only broke the silence to humbly request that his gift be kept anonymous.

“No one should know I contributed . . . ” his voice trailed off.

Mr. Gopal became one of the most active volunteers of Trees for Life. Before sunrise, he was out in his jeep inspecting the nurseries and exhorting people to support the event.

Thanks to the tender and caring heart of Mr. Gopal, the distribution of the 300,000 guava trees became a great success. But equally important, he helped me define what Trees for Life was all about . . . A simple act of love.