Bhubaneswar, Oct. 6 -- "Nature is God, and our survival depends on protecting it," said Padma Shri awardee and renowned environmentalist Jadav Payeng, popularly known as the Forest Man of India, while addressing the Earth Again Conference organised by Sambad in Bhubaneswar.

Speaking at the three-day conclave held at Swosti Hotel on Monday, Payeng urged people to recognise the divinity present in nature. "People are building grand temples and places of worship for God-but has anyone truly seen God? The divine presence we see and feel every day is in nature itself. It is the only force that can protect us-if we, in turn, protect it," he said.

Payeng, who began his remarkable journey at the age of 15, has devoted his life to nurturing the ...