The Forests Are Bleeding, and You’re Scrolling: Hasdeo, Dol Ka Badh, and the Death of Conscience

The Forests Are Bleeding, and You’re Scrolling: Hasdeo, Dol Ka Badh, and the Death of Conscience

By: The Sensible Arya

 “First they cut the trees. Then they silenced the voices. And we? We just watched.”

India is burning its lungs in silence.

While you scroll through reels, share motivational quotes, or binge another season of passive entertainment, the very soil that breathes life into this land is being gutted — not by invaders, but by those elected to serve, and watched by a youth too distracted to care.

Two names. Two symbols of resistance.

Hasdeo Forest in Chhattisgarh.

Dol Ka Badh in Jaipur.

And the story?

It’s not just about trees. It’s about us. About everything we’re losing — and everything we’re becoming.

□ Hasdeo Forest: The Heart That Fought Until It Bled

Deep in the mineral-rich lands of Chhattisgarh lies Hasdeo Arand, one of India’s densest, richest forests — home to elephants, leopards, and thousands of Adivasi families who have lived there for centuries.

But beneath the roots lie 5 billion tonnes of coal — and the greed of corporations and governments can sniff it from miles away.

So they did what they always do:

● Labeled the forest a “development zone”.

● Ignored Gram Sabha consent.

● Criminalized peaceful protests.

● Called tribal defenders anti-nationals.

● And defamed environmentalists fighting for justice.

And while bulldozers crushed sacred groves, the rest of India scrolled on.

□ Dol Ka Badh: Jaipur’s Silent Lungs Being Strangled

In the heart of the pink city lies a green patch called Dol Ka Badh — a 250-year-old forested grove, sacred to locals, rich in biodiversity, and a vital groundwater recharge zone for the city.

But guess what?

Real estate is more profitable than fresh air.

So the government moved in — trying to reclassify it, calling it “vacant”, and planning to cut down over 1,000 trees for “development”.

Locals resisted.

Students protested.

Nature cried.

But the cameras didn’t roll. And the youth? They watched influencers instead.

□ The Real Villain: Our Silence

Let’s drop the illusions. The reason Hasdeo is dying. The reason Dol Ka Badh is on the edge.

Is you.

Yes — you, the educated, English-speaking, “woke” generation who:

● Never reads the Forest Rights Act.

● Doesn’t know what “Gair Mumkin Pahar” means.

● Thinks Adivasis are “backward” or “in the way of progress.”

● Believes mining = jobs and forests = obstacles.

You who complain about heatwaves but don’t speak when forests are cleared.

You who share posts about “saving the Earth” on Earth Day and go silent the rest of the year.

You — the intelligent majority — whose silence is deadlier than any axe.

□ What’s at Stake

This is not a forest problem.

This is a democracy problem.

A climate crisis.

A moral failure.

When forests like Hasdeo and Dol Ka Badh fall:

● Air gets more toxic.

● Water dries up.

● Species vanish.

● Temperatures soar.

● Indigenous cultures are erased.

● And your children inherit a land that no longer breathes.

□ What You Can Do (Before It's Too Late)

1. Educate Yourself – Know your forests. Know your laws.

2. Speak Up – Use your voice online and offline. Start conversations.

3. Join or Support Movements – Like the Hasdeo Bachao Andolan, or local Dol Ka Badh protests.

4. Hold Politicians Accountable – Ask: who gave the clearance? Who profited?

5. Vote with Conscience – Not for those who sell land under your feet.

□ Enough is Enough.

This is a call to arms — not of violence, but of awakening.

If our generation doesn’t rise now, if we continue to stay silent while the forests fall — then we deserve the heatwaves, the droughts, the floods, the cancerous air, and the dead rivers.

But if we do rise — as students, artists, engineers, coders, voters, citizens — then this country still has a chance.

A tree can't speak your language.

But your silence is killing it.

Will you scroll past again?

Or will you finally stand up?

This isn’t a story of dying forests. This is a story of a dying democracy. Don’t let it end with silence.

#SaveHasdeo #SaveDolKaBadh #YouthForForests #TheSensibleArya