Ashish Joshi, a Vidya Bharati Alumni from Pokaran, is fighting for the cause of water by planting trees

Pokaran or Pokhran means “the place of five mirages”, is a village and a municipality located in the Jaisalmer district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a remote location in the Thar Desert region and served as the test site for India's first underground nuclear weapon, ballistic missiles. Since then the place has become a pilgrimage for people from all over the world.

The village also has huge water crisis due to lack of groundwater. There are several places in Jaisalmer which has rocks were formed during volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago from molten lava and are non-porous. Therefore it neither absorbs water nor retains it. Water is supplied to these places through pipeline from nearby villages located 30-40 kms away.

Ashish Joshi, an alumnus of Adarsh Vidya Mandir Sec. Pokaran, understands the importance of every drop of water. He formed a group and started campaigning for planting trees. Currently his team has about 25 volunteers who help him with tree plantations.  

“We have planted over 400 trees until now. We request people we meet to come and join our movement to create green belts in the district”, shared Ashish.

Ashish and his team of volunteers are also helping patients to get bed in the city hospitals. They are also arranging for stay and food for the families of patients who come from faraway villages.

Ashish has done BSc. in Chemistry, Zoology, and Botany. He then completed his BEd. and joined his alma mater, Adarsh Vidya Mandir Sec. Pokaran, as a teacher. He is also preparing for the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teacher (REET).

Ashish feels a life spend in helping the society and its people is a life worth lived.