Celebration to conservation: Tezpur man turns birthday into tree-planting drive

In the heart of Tezpur, one man’s vision is transforming busy streets, hospital grounds, and public spaces into vibrant green corridors. Horendra Nath Morang, Associate Professor of History at Darrang College, is leading an urban afforestation mission that has grown from a simple personal gesture into a large-scale community movement.

It all began in 2015, when Morang decided to celebrate his son’s birthday in an unconventional way. Instead of hosting a party, he planted 24 saplings on public land. The act planted more than trees — it planted a philosophy: that every celebration should include tree plantation.

To capture this concept, Morang invented the name 'Udropan' derived from Assamese words 'Udjapan' (celebration) and 'Briksh Ropan' (tree plantation). The name struck a chord with the public, and over time, 'Udropan' grew from a family tradition into an urban afforestation drive with hundreds of participants.

“We celebrate so many events in life, but tree plantation should be an inseparable part of it,” says Morang.

From One Man’s Mission to a Green Family

For the first four years, Morang worked alone, planting saplings on birthdays, anniversaries, and public occasions like Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Bhupen Hazarika’s birthday, and Shilpi Diwas. By 2019, the idea had caught on, and more people joined in.

Today, over 220 “Udropoks” (tree planters under the initiative) form a large green family. Many plant saplings in memory of loved ones, turning grief into a living tribute.

More Than Planting – Ensuring 100% Survival

Unlike many plantation drives that focus on numbers, Udropan aims for quality over quantity. The mission is simple yet ambitious: every sapling planted must survive to become a full-grown tree.

Each sapling is numbered, documented, and monitored. Challenges like cattle, monkeys, rodents, and human interference are met with solutions such as glass-proof barriers and scientific barricades. As of today, Udropan proudly maintains a 100% survival rate for all 548 planted saplings.

“For others, it may be just a tree. For me, it’s like my own child. I’m the single parent, and I’ll fight to protect it,” Morang says.

Painting Tezpur in Colors

Beyond greening the city, Udropan is beautifying Tezpur with color-coded floral lines:

• Beguni Rekha (Purple Line) – Pride of india (Ajhar) 
   
• Sonali Rekha (Golden Line) – Golden Shower (Sonaru )
   
• Rangali Rekha (Red Line) – Krishnachura (Gulmohor)
   
• Gulapi Rekha (Pink Line) – Pink Kanchan (Bauhinia)

The vision is to make Tezpur not just green, but vibrantly colorful.

Urban Afforestation – A Need of the Hour

Morang stresses that urban areas, with their concrete structures and heat-absorbing roads, need trees more than ever. Over 60% of the global population now lives in cities, and India’s tree-to-population ratio is alarmingly low — just 28 trees per person compared to Canada’s 8,953.

Through Udropan, he hopes to reverse this trend by making urban tree plantation a lifestyle habit, especially among the youth.

Vision for the Next 5 Years

Looking ahead, Udropan plans to:

1. Plant 10–20 feet tall saplings for faster, guaranteed growth (fast forestation)
2. Create a Green Network involving schools and colleges
3. Make tree plantation part of the national education curriculum
4. Expand plantations along national highways

“Planting a sapling is not enough — nurturing it into a tree is our moral responsibility,” Morang reminds us.

From a birthday celebration to an environmental mission, Udropan proves that small personal choices can grow into large public movements — and that the most meaningful celebrations are the ones that give something back to the planet.