Jhenidah painter on a mission to save the planet

When the entire world is talking about climate issues, a painter in a remote Jhenidah village has come up with his own means of meeting the environmental challenge: he has been planting saplings in educational institutions and in his locality.

 He also distributes free saplings among students and locals. The young man also arranges awareness programmes in remote villages to make rural people aware of the need to preserve nature in their own interests.

 This has become a mission for Jahir Raihan, a painter living in Ramnagar village of  Kumrabaria union parishad under Jhenidah Sadar upazila. 

 Did not complete his secondary education, but that did not deter him from standing up for the environment.

 This correspondent met Jahir at his home, where he lives a frugal life with his family on a meagre income. He, however, still manages to paint and bear the educational expenses of 15 underprivileged children who had, at one point, dropped out of school.

 A visitor to Jahir’s locality cannot miss the paintings and writings on the walls of houses and public offices, highlighting humane values, good behaviour, nature and bio-diversity. He has also strung up large earthen pots on trees to ensure secure nesting places for birds.

He plants saplings when a child is born in a family in the locality in the belief that the saplings, as it gradually matures into trees, will help meet the cost of the child’s education and marriage in future.

 Jahir told this correspondent that he could not continue his studies because of extreme poverty. He said he understands the sorrows of illiterate people and wants to help them fulfil their responsibility towards the environment.

 

Jhenidah painter on a mission to save the planet

When the entire world is talking about climate issues, a painter in a remote Jhenidah village has come up with his own means of meeting the environmental challenge: he has been planting saplings in educational institutions and in his locality. He also distributes free saplings among students and locals. The young man also arranges awareness programmes in remote villages to make rural people aware of the need to preserve nature in their own interests. This has become a mission for Jahir Raihan, a painter living in Ramnagar village of Kumrabaria union parishad under Jhenidah Sadar upazila. Did not complete his secondary education, but that did not deter him from standing up for the environment. This correspondent met Jahir at his home, where he lives a frugal life with his family on a meagre income. He, however, still manages to paint and bear the educational expenses of 15 underprivileged children who had, at one point, dropped out of school. A visitor to Jahirs locality cannot miss the paintings and writings on the walls of houses and public offices, highlighting humane values, good behaviour, nature and bio-diversity. He has also strung up large earthen pots on trees to ensure secure nesting places for birds. He plants saplings when a child is born in a family in the locality in the belief that the saplings, as it gradually matures into trees, will help meet the cost of the childs education and marriage in future. Jahir told this correspondent that he could not continue his studies because of extreme poverty. He said he understands the sorrows of illiterate people and wants to help them fulfil their responsibility towards the environment.