Arvind

For two decades, he has been guarding the forests of Bokaro against poachers with a gun in one hand and a pen in another.

Realising that strict vigilance alone cannot protect wildlife and natural resources, Bokaro divisional forest officer (DFO) Kumar Manish Arvind started writing poetry to seek the help of local tribes in conserving nature’s bounty.

Besides publishing books and contributing poems in the forest department journals, Arvind also recites verses at local functions and during meetings with tribal communities.

“Everyone has a hidden passion but seldom pursues it due to lack of time or other priorities. But for me, writing is a way to connect with the surroundings and also discover myself again and again,” he said.

Arvind’s father used to write for newspapers. “Seeing him, I too developed a knack for writing from my childhood when I used to write letters to editors. With time, I developed a flair and started writing books on my experience as a forest official,” he added.

His poems, in Hindi and Maithili, share a common theme: how the life of human beings is linked with the ecological system. “It is easier for me to write on the topic as I am in the profession. It is my way of sensitising people about forest and wildlife issues,” he said.

“Although I stick to Hindi and Maithili, my son has translated a couple of books into English,” said Arvind whose efforts purged the forests of land mafia.

His latest offering, Kyun Jungle Stabdh Khada hai (Why is the forest standing numb), focuses on diminishing greens, vanishing vultures, tribals encroaching forest areas, et al.