This is a story about Bengalata Rout. Also known as Benga Maa. After marriage she moved to Tandahara village, 60km from the temple town of Puri. She said the sea was very far, now it has come very close to the village. It is the most affected area to frequent cyclones that are developing in Bay of Bengal. The 1999 cyclone was the worst, it uprooted many trees, which were helping the village to survive the catastrophe. As per CEEW, Puri district is facing four times frequency of extreme floods and three times frequency of extreme cyclones since 2000. Also, the saltwater often destroys the paddy fields.
(PICTURE CREDIT https://static.globalissues.org/ips/2023/11/Climate-Justice-02.jpg )
After that she decided to take a step forward and protect the village from this climate risk. She with other women started to replant Casuarina sapling along the coastline. So that the casuarina forest could act as a buffer against cyclonic storms and saltwater intrusion. She convinced women from nearby village and started planting. In the first drive, 40,000 saplings of juniper, kia, and coconut palms have been planted on four hectors of barren coastline. But again in the cyclone Fanni, the plants were devasted, but she immediately replanted them. Women from 90 families joined in the village to form SHGs and made their mission to plant and nurture tress along coast. Each SHG takes turns to water the sapling each day.
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(PICTURE CREDIT: - https://imgs.etvbharat.com/etvbharat/prod-images/29-04-2025/24061961_benga_aspera.jpg )
She planted sampling for 25 years to save her village. She developed two forests, planted 50,000 trees. These are protecting Tandahar, Katakana, and Kalamkani villages from saline winds, tidal surges, and coastal erosion. Her daily routine was to walk along the coastline, sapling in hand, and planting one tree at a time battling environmental crisis. Live just 50 meters from the Bay of Bengal, she patrols daily and plants trees.
A single woman started this mission to being a community-led mission. This is a great living example of how the community can stand for themselves and make a change.
Reference:-
- Council on Energy, Environment and Water. (n.d.). How SHGs in Puri scaled nature-based solutions against climate risks. CEEW. https://www.ceew.in/how-shgs-in-puri-scaled-nature-based-solutions-against-climate-risks
- ETV Bharat. (2025, April 29). How Bengalata from Nimapada, Puri planted saplings for 25 years to save her village from the sea. https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!offbeat/how-bengalata-from-nimapada-puri-planted-saplings-for-25-years-to-save-her-village-from-the-sea-enn25042904783
- Green Stories. (n.d.). Odisha woman turns barren coastal land green. https://greenstories.co.in/odisha-woman-turns-barren-coastal-land-green/
- History of Odisha. (n.d.). Benga Maa of Odisha. https://historyofodisha.in/benga-maa-of-odisha/
About the Author
Priyanka Makhijani is a post-graduate student at the Department of Public Policy, School of Social Science, Ramaiah University, Bengaluru
