A retired soldier has planted thousands of trees and plants in his fields in Sirsu village of Nagaur district of Rajasthan. Now his farm is like a ‘theme park’, where you can enjoy the nature. This story is about 50 year old Renvat Singh Rathod of Sirsoon village, who is working not only for nature but also saving Rajasthani culture.
In their fields you can enjoy treehouses, ponds, wagons, horse riding and camel rides along with the shade of dense trees. Revat Singh elaborated on his journey to The Better India. Born in a middle-class farmer family, Revat Singh was admitted to the Indian Army after passing class 10th. He was selected in the engineering wing in the army and did his further studies during the job itself.
In the year 2008, he retired from the army and returned to his home so that he could live with his family. After retirement from the army, he also worked with a company. He told, “During my training and service in the army, I always learned about nature and the environment as well. Plantation of trees used to be organized in the army also and in this way I got a different attachment towards nature.
Planted more than 2000 trees
In the year 2015, Revat Singh decided to do something different in his fields. He told, “I planned to plant dense forest in my fields. Along with this, he wanted to develop a place in his farm where people far and wide could see greenery and feel relaxed. I planted 400 olive plants in the beginning. After this, plants of teak, pomegranate, amla, ber, khejri and poplar were also planted.
He said, “Nagaur is part of the desert and spreading greenery here was a challenge in itself. A lot of people made fun of it too. But I did not listen to anyone and kept on serving my plants day and night.” Soon, his hard work started paying off in four-five years. The greenery of his fields was visible to the people from a distance.
After filling this place with greenery, he thought of making some arrangements so that his family and the villagers, if they so wish, could spend a good time amidst this greenery. So he developed this place as a farmhouse. Renwat Singh says, “Because of the trees and plants, many birds started coming to our fields. Also, we made good arrangements for horse, camel, duck etc. Apart from this, a small pond has also been built on this farmhouse.
Every Sunday, Hemandar Singh, a villager who spends a good amount of time on his farm, works in the company. That’s why he gets a day off in the week, in which he spends a lot of time in the midst of nature on the fields of Revat Singh. He says, “The work he has done is commendable. Because this is a good initiative not only for them but for all the villagers. Seeing them now inspires me and other people as well that we all can develop this kind of ‘farm’ on our farms.”
Hut built on Khejri tree
Revat Singh told that in order to spend his time in the midst of nature, he built a small ‘treehouse’ on the Khejri tree. To build it, he first placed a wooden plank on the tree and built a hut on top of it. They have also put up stairs to get to the hut. Regarding this, he says, “I have named this ‘treehouse’ of mine as ‘Border Ka Bungalow’. This hut built among the trees remains very cold. It can seat about eight people at a time and can also have a small bunk.”
Renwat Singh has also kept agricultural implements, bullock carts etc. in this farm house so that children can play here. He told that if anyone wants to come and visit his place, then he can spend his day here without any fees.
“I didn’t build this farmhouse to make money. Many people call me that they want to come here and spend three-four days but we do not have any arrangement for people to stay. But if anyone wants to come and roam here from morning till evening, then feel free to come. Enjoy nature and Rajasthani culture to the fullest. However, there is an expense to maintain the pool, so we charge Rs 50 for swimming. There is no fee for anything else,” he said.
About four years ago, he started setting up ‘Treefair’ to connect children and youth with nature. However, the fair has not been held since last year due to the corona epidemic. Bajrang Lal, a resident of the village says, “The way Renvat ji has combined nature and Rajasthani culture, it is good for the children of the village. Children learn about their culture while being close to nature. They also get information about many plants and birds. Many people of our village spend time on their fields everyday.”
Of course, Revat Singh is an inspiration to all of us. I hope others will be inspired by reading his story. If you ever go to Nagaur, then definitely visit the fields of Revat Singh. To contact him you can WhatsApp message him on 9829324583.
