Extraordinary Indians: Bus Conductor Marimuthu Yoganathan's Tree-Saving Movement

Marimuthu Yoganathan grew up in the lush forests of Kotagiri in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu where his parents, migrants from the plains of Thanjavur, were tea pluckers at an estate. Even as a child, Yoganathan was aware that he was fortunate to be part of this landscape, of being able to fill his lungs with cool, fresh air, sit under the shade of mighty trees and chance upon the little animals who shared this land with him. It was only natural for him to fight back those trying to destroy this paradise. He was 13 years old when he first stood in front of a truck carrying illegally felled trees, refusing to move.

Tea factories needed firewood, which the owners believed was freely available to them from the forests. “There were laws to protect the forests but nobody cared to implement them,” says Yoganathan, 50, who now works as a bus conductor for Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation in Coimbatore. He even convinced friends to join in. “The first time we blocked a truck, we managed to file a complaint with the forest official who took action against the men,” he says. “When we made a huge ruckus the tree fellers would generally abandon the trucks and run away.” Sometimes, they simply beat the boys up. “That’s when I understood that I was doing something important,” says Yoganathan, laughing.

He realized that he couldn’t protect his beloved trees alone, and thus began his mission of spreading awareness. In the ’80s, he did so by putting up street plays in the tea estate. “Everyone there was trying to make ends meet but they recognized the value of nature. Watching our plays, people began coming out in support.” Today, Yoganathan spreads his message armed with a slideshow.

In the past 32 years, Yoganathan has visited 5,800 institutions—schools, colleges, parks, clubs and offices—educating people. “When I speak to kids I ask them if they can go without breathing for three minutes or without drinking water for three days. I explain to them that that is what we will face in the future if we continue harming the environment.”The crux of Yoganathan’s endeavour, however, is to make people really care about the environment. “I cannot describe the joy I experience when I see a tree I have planted tower over me. I want others to experience the same joy.” This is why he encourages people to plant trees in their immediate surroundings, so that they can look after it and see it transform before their eyes.

Even though Yoganathan has won several awards—the Eco Warrior Award in 2008 from the Indian government and Real Heroes award in 2011 from CNN-IBN, for instance—he is often branded a “public nuisance” and dragged to police stations and, sometimes, to court. In 2016, for example, when he opposed the felling of trees to widen the road inside Coimbatore’s Agricultural College and Research Institute, he was arrested but released within a few hours as locals and bystanders rallied in support. “It’s not easy to explain to people that trees are not a nuisance, we are the nuisance. But so far, whenever I have been taken to court, the judgement has been in my favour,” he adds.

As a bus conductor, Yoganathan’s income is modest, much of which is spent on travelling the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu, spreading awareness and planting saplings.

“Last year I spent my entire Diwali bonus on a tree-planting drive, but my wife and daughters never complained. I am happy to have people in my life who understand that some things are worth fighting for—no matter one’s limitations,” he says.