The third edition of the Eco Warrior Awards 2025, organized by the Indian Forest Service Association and Indian Masterminds, marked a landmark celebration of India’s environmental protectors. Celebrating the leaders who have dedicated their lives to safeguarding the ecosystem, the event featured two panel discussions with eye-opening insights.
The second panel discussion on “Awakening a Collective Environmental Consciousness” was chaired by retired IFS officer Dr. Satendra and moderated by senior journalist Ajay Suri. The discussion reminds us that the solutions to our environmental crises often lie in forgotten ponds, neglected forests, or in the magic of folk songs. The dialogue highlighted the power of collective consciousness, and the urgent need to rewrite environmental laws to match a new era.
Back to the Ponds
The first speaker, Ramveer Tanwar, popularly known as the “Pond Man of India,” began with a simple truth: “Among all the people here, I don’t think there’s anyone whose childhood memories aren’t connected to ponds. But over the last 30 or 40 years, those good memories have turned into bad ones. Today, 60 to 70 percent of ponds in urban India look like landfill sites.”
The irony bites deep in his words. The names of the new housing societies are Greenwood, Lake View, and Lotus Pond, and in reality, these names tell us what was destroyed to build them. He pointed out the cities like Noida, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, where more than 50% of the ponds have vanished, and this is affecting them badly when it rains.
“We’ve restored more than 100 ponds with IITs, IIMs, and other organizations,” He said. “And these can resolve issues of urban floods, waterlogging, and even heat waves. For me, all these challenges have one simple solution, ponds.” The applause said it all.
The Wave of Collective Consciousness
Mr. Parveen Kaswan, IFS officer and social media’s wildlife storyteller, speaks second. Kaswan used that truth to make a larger point: “Individual work has impact, but collective consciousness is more powerful, more meaningful.” He cited innovative programs led by forest officers across India, like the “From Screens to Green” initiative, where Delhi schoolchildren are taken into forests to feel themselves in nature. “Instead of screens, they see greens,” he said. He brought hope to the audience that a consciousness wave is coming.
Healing with Forests
Rohit Mehra, IRS, known as the Green Man of India, brought a perspective rooted in human lives and their conflicts with conservation. “When we started plantations in Punjab, we faced opposition. People wanted to buy vacant plots for industry or breeding. It was a clash of interests,” he admitted.
He narrated the story of an industrialist in Gwalior advised by doctors to escape the city’s toxic air. Mehra convinced him to convert ten acres of land into a fruit forest, and that impacted his health, physically and emotionally. Mehra puts this as a transformative power of collective effort.
Mehra also described his work on “Vrikshayurveda,” a reimagined ancient practice of caring for trees, now recognized by the Government of India. “We even run the world’s only tree hospital,” he said. A tree hospital is strange, but when others see that we cure and heal plants, they understand,” he added. The stories and efforts behind it were more than applause for the audience.
Green Lessons from Corporates
The Corporate Communications head at GAIL India, Mr. Jyoti Kumar, focused on young people as custodians of the future. “We are living in their wallet,” he said. The youth must be constantly reminded of the road ahead. They should be aware of what they will face in their future, and we should take the responsibility; his message spoke here.
With companies across industries racing toward net zero emissions, he placed the responsibility on the corporates to reduce carbon intensity for better future. He opened the audience’s eyes with a question, ‘how did CNG change Delhi?’
AI and Technology as Allies
Returning to Kaswan, the discussion also talks about AI’s role. “AI is changing faster than we can imagine. But its application in conservation is already real.” He said. He stressed his statement by mentioning how thermal cameras have saved elephants on railway tracks in Odisha, and smart systems monitor national parks and catch misbehaving tourists in real time. “Technology is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity for conservation,” he added to his points.
Songs for the Soil
“If only you understand your words, what’s the point? True meaning lies when others also understand.”
The last word to fit came from Dr. Satyendra, a retired IFS officer. His poetic lines brought silence in the audience with realization. He recalled a project in Bangladesh where awareness programs failed, but they used local songs and folk performances. “People may not listen to policies,” he said, “but they listen to their own songs. If you speak in their language, they will join.” His words are worthy here.
His closing words captured the irony of environmental advocacy best: “We talk big at high levels, with plans and reports. But on the ground, only when you speak in songs, in schools, and in folk language can real consciousness awaken.”
The Spirit of Eco Warriors
The spirit of eco-warriors shows the Eco Warrior Awards were not just about trophies; they were about ordinary citizens who turned their lives into daily acts of healing. Whether by restoring ponds, taking children through forests, converting factories into fruit forests, or redesigning corporate futures, the theme was clear: environmental consciousness must move from individuals to the collective. The time to act is now, together.
(The story is written by Ahamed Sabith Abdul Bari, who is currently interning with us.)
