For most people, planting a tree is a one-time symbolic act. But for Maharashtra’s Beed district-based environmental activist Sudhakar Deshmukh, it has been a mission lasting more than four decades.

Hailing from Mamdapur village in Ambejogai tehsil, Deshmukh has dedicated his life to planting and distributing saplings across the state, turning everyday social occasions into opportunities for environmental action.