“By action most, and not by thought and speech alone, can the will of a people be vivified, trained and made solid and enduring.”
— Sri Aurobindo
Some people dream of change—they keep doing what they’ve always done but wish for different results. Others demand change through the mediums of prose, poetry, and speeches. There is a third type that Sri Aurobindo speaks about—people who work for the change they want to see.
“Pondman” Ramveer Tanwar is a great example of the third type. Born in an agricultural family, he saw the dwindling levels of ponds when he took cattle for grazing and decided to make things better. This desire led him to become a full-time conservationist despite being the first person in his family to attend college.
Did Tanwar hope the ponds would revive themselves? Did he go around lecturing people that “someone must do something to restore water bodies” (the government, mostly)? No. He went door-to-door educating people about the gravity of dropping water levels (at a time when nobody thought it was a problem). Today, he leads Say Earth, an NGO that restores ponds, wetlands, and urban forests, and makes villagers stakeholders in the process to sustain clean places.
It was Tanwar’s actions more than his words that convinced villagers, local administrations, and his team to work towards reviving ecosystems in various states.
Any person who has ever made an impact has done so through their actions. What can you learn from such people? It’s that actions get results while words get ignored.
Change starts with you, with the person in the mirror. Lead by example, not lectures. Then, like-minded people will flock to you, pathways will open, and you will make an impact.