On a scorching May afternoon in Jhiri village, Raisen district, 64-year-old Dr. R.K. Paliwal, retired Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (MP and Chhattisgarh), stood knee-deep in a trench, stacking stones into a handmade check dam. Alongside him was Mr. Kaushlendra Singh, retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Chhattisgarh. Together, the two officers led one of India’s most inspiring citizen-led environmental movements.
The Betwa River, lifeline of Bundelkhand, had gone dry at its origin. While most shrugged it off, Dr. Paliwal and Mr. Singh, along with their team, decided to act. Their goal: build 55 check dams in seven days, during Nautapa, the hottest week of the year.
Starting with just 12 volunteers, the initiative snowballed. Word spread. Villagers, students, professionals — hundreds joined. In seven days, they built 55 check dams by hand, outpacing the state government’s efforts of three dams in three months.
“This wasn’t a protest. It was a movement,” said Paliwal in an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds. “We didn’t wait for permission. We just began.”
Watch the complete interview here:
The check dams are just the beginning. The group now plans to protect the river’s origin by discouraging deforestation, building hillside water-harvesting structures, and shifting local farming from water-intensive crops to fruit orchards. In June–July, they’ll distribute 10 fruit saplings per family — planting not just trees, but hope.
The Betwa may soon flow again, not because of policy, but because two retired officers reminded people of their power to rebuild, restore, and revive.
