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With a heartfelt message that danced like a gentle breeze among the leaves of a grand forest, Krisdawal, the daughter of a legendary figure, imparted wisdom from her commendable father, saying, “Don’t be sad. There is still so much more to do in life.” It was a simple sentence that carried the boundless spirit of a man whose life was a testament to the power of hope and relentless effort.
Phra Paisal Visalo, a beacon of tranquility and hope as the chairman of the Dharma Planting Foundation, offered up a poignant tribute. He painted a celestial vision of Dab Wichai, the cherished “madman who plants trees,” crossing over into a paradisiacal forest haven in the afterlife, a reflection of the verdant landscapes he nurtured during his time on Earth.
His name, Dab Wichai, resonated through the heartbeats of Thai society as the echo of an extraordinary tale of resilience and greenery. This remarkable soul sowed the seeds of change, sprouting three million trees into the once arid canvas of Prang Ku District in Sisaket Province. Like a magician whose wand conjures life, he turned the parched into the prosperous, proving nature’s power to heal and revitalize.
Once a simple son of humble rice farmers in Sisaket Province, Wichai’s roots were as deeply intertwined with the earth as the rice paddies he called home. Escaping the clutches of a low socio-economic family lineage, education became his vessel of transformation, and the disciplined life of a police officer his chosen path.
When his journey took him to the police station in the Prang Ku District, Wichai was met with a land bereft of mountains’ majesty and devoid of rivers’ song. This district, plagued by sandy soil, was a theater of social malaise where theft and crime found fertile ground. However, the seed of an idea sprouted within him, a noble quest to combat adversity not with handcuffs, but with saplings.
Thus began an odyssey in 1988. Post duty every single day, Wichai would mount his trusty motorcycle, armed with more than just his police toolkit—now, he also had his seeds of hope. His mission was simple yet ambitious. To those in Prang Ku, he might have seemed a whimsical dreamer, a ‘madman’ they’d say, as he toiled under the sun and moon to plant trees—each one a declaration of defiance against the harshness of the land.
Wichai’s resilience saw him choosing perennial trees as his warriors in this quiet revolution. Their roots would delve deep, their leaves would breathe life into the sandy soil, and their existence would spin a new tale for the generations to come. His forested legacy would be measured not only in the coolness of the shade or the freshness of the air but in the rejuvenated spirit of humanity and biodiversity alike.
Not merely a symbol, the forest became the lifeblood of an entire community. It sprouted new livelihoods, shadowed schoolchildren as they learned, and it stitched a quilt of lush growth that the people of Prang Ku proudly called their own.
At the noble age of 75, with a body weathered by time and battling kidney disease, Wichai’s resolve never wavered. Time’s ticking, his body’s frailties, none could deter the heart that beat for the trees. His daily rendezvous with the saplings was as unfailing as the sunrise.
Indeed, it wasn’t until 1998 that the fruits of his labor began to paint a living tapestry of green across the landscape. The inhabitants, once sceptical, now joined their ‘madman’ in a symphony of growth that would echo across history. Prang Ku blossomed into an oasis, a fertile testament to one man’s unwavering conviction.
In his own words, Wichai once mused, “I believe the material world is all an assumption. True happiness lies in being with nature and respecting it. I will continue to plant trees, plant continuously, plant until I die.” Such was the philosophy of a true steward of Earth, who, in planting tree after tree, planted hope for a world yearning to breathe freely beneath the boughs of ancient giants.
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