Chami Murmu

Chami Murmu is an environmentalist from Jharkhand, known locally as the “Lady Tarzan” of the state for protecting its forests and wildlife. She was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of social work, from Jharkhand ^[1].

Planting forests

She was born on 6 November 1971 into a poor family in Bhursa village, Seraikela Kharsawan district ^[2]. About 30 years ago, seeing how hard life was for people around her, she formed a group of ten women to work on forests and livelihoods ^[2].

The movement grew to include women from more than 500 villages, who planted trees to restore forests cleared by illegal logging ^[2]. According to her citation, more than two million trees were planted under her supervision in a decade, and wildlife has returned as the forests recovered ^[2]. Her network is now strong enough that news of illegal tree-felling reaches the women quickly and they step in to stop it ^[2].

Water and work

As secretary of the organisation Sahayogi Mahila, Bagraisai, she and its members built watersheds, diversion canals and water-harvesting tanks so that farmers could grow paddy, vegetables and pulses through the year ^[2]. She has linked about 2,800 self-help groups, reaching some 30,000 women, who use bank loans to start goat, pig and poultry rearing ^[2]. She also provides free schooling and hostel places for girls from poor tribal families ^[2].

Honours

She has received the Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra award from the environment ministry and the Nari Shakti Puraskar from the Ministry of Women and Child Development ^[2].