This Marathi Actor Planted 6.5 Lakh Trees to Honour His Mother

For most people, grief slowly fades into memory. But for Marathi actor Sayaji Shinde, it took root in the soil of Maharashtra and grew into forests.

Years ago, when his mother was in her final moments, he stood beside her and made a promise. He told her he would plant 5,000 native trees in her memory. At the time, it was simply a son trying to hold on to love even as he prepared to let go.

But promises made from the heart have a way of growing beyond imagination.

What began with a few saplings slowly became Sahyadri Devrai, one of Maharashtra’s largest native tree movements. Today, more than 6.5 lakh indigenous trees stand tall across over 29 locations in the state because one son refused to forget his mother.

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Sayaji did not want ornamental plants or decorative gardens. He chose trees connected to the land and its people. Banyan, peepal, tamarind and several other native species that once shaped the region’s natural landscape.

But planting trees was never the hardest part.

Keeping them alive was.

He soon realised that survival could not depend on one person alone. So he turned the mission into a people’s movement. Villagers joined in. Volunteers travelled long distances to help. Local communities began watering saplings themselves and protecting them like family members.

A living memory

Over time, the dry patches of land slowly began changing colour. Birds returned to places they had abandoned years ago. Shade returned to roads and villages. Small ecosystems silently came back to life.

And somewhere during this journey, Sayaji began seeing his mother in the trees around him. In the flowers they bloomed. In the fruits they offered. In the shade they gave to strangers without asking for anything in return.

For him, a tree became the closest expression of a mother’s love. Silent, giving and endless.

Today, those 6.5 lakh trees are more than a green mission. They are living memories rooted across Maharashtra. Because this was never only about planting trees. It was about a son keeping his word.