Woman Leads 40 Volunteers Guarding 250 Acres in India

Kandoni Soren was just 20 when she watched her village's forest disappear, tree by tree. Officials ignored her complaints about illegal logging, so she decided to become the solution herself.

In 2011, Soren gathered five women from her village to form Hariyali Sakaam, meaning "green leaf" in Hindi. They began patrolling the forest daily, watching for illegal cutters and reporting them to authorities.

The approach worked. As results became visible, more women wanted to join.

Today, 40 women guard 250 acres of forest in rotating shifts, maintaining a 24-hour watch. They patrol in four teams, carrying sticks and bows for protection, focusing extra attention on remote areas where illegal logging is most likely.

Visitors alert them to suspicious activity, and WhatsApp groups help coordinate their response. The system has reduced illegal tree felling by 80 to 90%.

In 2018, Soren became a home guard with Jamshedpur Police. Most people would consider that enough, but she still joins evening and night patrols after her official shifts end.

Her dedication earned her two nicknames. Police colleagues call her "sherni," meaning tigress. Villagers call her "jungle ki sherni," the tigress of the jungle.

The Ripple Effect

What started as five frustrated women has become a model for community-led conservation. The 40 volunteers aren't just protecting trees. They're safeguarding the resource their entire community depends on for survival.

Their daily patrols prove that locals often make the best guardians of their own land. When government systems fail, organized communities can fill the gap.

For 15 years, these women have shown up, day and night, to protect what matters most to them. Their forest stands because they refused to watch it fall.