In Hazaribag, 80-year-old environmental activist Jai Gopal Rai has a unique caller tune on his mobile phone: Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Ekla chalo re’, which urges people to walk alone if nobody answers their call. For Rai, this song symbolizes his life’s mission. It has been the driving philosophy behind his solitary yet determined battle to save Okni Talab, one of Hazaribag’s oldest and largest ponds, from disappearing due to alleged encroachment and rapid urban expansion.
His struggle has culminated in a major environmental victory. The National Green Tribunal (NGT), while hearing the case last year, set aside the ownership claims of private parties and directed the Hazaribag administration to beautify the pond. Rai, a former deputy development commissioner, had filed the case before the NGT when the district administration allegedly took no action.
Spread over approximately 14.62 acres in the heart of Hazaribag town, Okni Talab was once considered a significant ecological landmark. Over the decades, however, alleged encroachment, unregulated urbanization, garbage dumping, and continuous discharge of drain water have severely degraded the water body. For Rai, the struggle was deeply personal. “The song inspired me to continue the fight even when I was alone,” Rai said, referring to ‘Ekla chalo re’. “I took up this fight to save one of the oldest and biggest ponds in the city. As my house is situated on one side of the pond, it was painful for me to see it die day by day. I took up the campaign alone to save the pond when land sharks claimed its ownership.”
Rai kept meeting officials and pushing for action. Later, residents joined him. A graduate in English from Patna University in 1967, Rai formed the Hazaribag Paryavaran Sanrakshan Trust, intensified his campaign, and filed cases in the NGT and Jharkhand high court. He credited then deputy development commissioner Prerna Dixit for supporting the effort.
Rai also led anti-drug awareness campaigns after retiring from government service in 2005. “It’s a matter of solace for me that I managed to save the pond. Initially, no one dared to speak, but I showed courage. So I want to tell residents to always raise their voice against wrongdoings,” he added.
