Indian Jesuit’s 1988 Youth Movement ‘Tarumitra’ Continues to Inspire Care for Creation

As the Church observes the Season of Creation, it is fitting to remember Fr Robert Athickal SJ, a Jesuit priest who foresaw the urgent need to protect the environment decades before ecological concern became a major global and ecclesial priority. His death on July 19, 2026, marked the passing of a creative environmental educator, retreat director, artist and founder of the Tarumitra movement, whose life was closely associated with care for creation.

Tarumitra, meaning “Friends of Trees”, was a student environmental movement that Fr Robert launched in Patna, Bihar, in 1988.

During discussions with school students on the growing environmental crisis, Fr Robert challenged them to consider what young people could do to protect nature. A meeting involving students from ten schools led to the proposal to establish an organisation that would promote ecological awareness among students and the wider public.

From this modest beginning, Tarumitra developed into a significant environmental movement. Students participated in tree planting, road-cleaning campaigns, rallies, the development of roadside “oxygen belts” and efforts to resist the excessive use of plastic. Environmental awareness was also promoted through essays, poetry, painting and debate competitions. The movement encouraged young people to understand the relationship between human needs and the natural world and to use natural resources responsibly.

Fr Robert’s vision went beyond environmental activism. He sought to nurture an ecological consciousness rooted in spirituality and a sense of responsibility towards creation. Inspired by the Ignatian tradition of “finding God in all things”, he saw nature not merely as a collection of resources but as part of God’s creation that calls for wonder, gratitude and care.

His approach also drew on the Indian understanding of vasudhaiva kutumbakam, the whole world is one family. For Tarumitra, this family extended beyond human beings to trees, plants, animals, birds and the wider natural world. Ecological responsibility therefore became a way of overcoming social and cultural divisions and recognising the interconnectedness of all life.

Tarumitra’s work also promoted sustainable development, conservation, recycling and responsible use of land, forests and other natural resources. The movement sought to combine indigenous knowledge with environmental education and encouraged students to become active participants in protecting their surroundings. Its work later extended beyond India, with Tarumitra gaining international recognition and receiving Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2005.

His creativity was evident in the Tarumitra campus itself. He used art, design and locally available materials to create spaces that reflected simplicity and harmony with nature. He was known for finding practical and inexpensive solutions, often using what is popularly called jugaad technology. His paintings, cartoons, poetry and other artistic works were also expressions of the same creativity that marked his ecological ministry.

For those who worked closely with him, however, his greatest contribution was the people he inspired. Devo Priya Dutta, a Tarumitra coordinator who worked closely with Fr Robert, remembered him as a mentor and guide.

“Thank you for instilling in me eco-sensitivity and eco-consciousness,” she wrote in her tribute. She recalled how he encouraged “insane, crazy and out-of-the-box ideas” and taught her to discover happiness through simple things.

Dutta also described Fr Robert as the person who introduced her to eco-spirituality and helped her rediscover God through creation. For her, Tarumitra itself remains one of his greatest gifts to the world.

“Thank you, Father, for the gift of Tarumitra, ‘Friends of Trees’, as a life lesson to the entire world. You were, you are and you will always be my guru, my mentor, my guardian angel and my inspiration,” she wrote.

During this Season of Creation, Fr. Robert’s life continues to remind the Church that ecological conversion begins with a change in the way people see the world. The seeds he planted through Tarumitra and through his ministry continue to call people to cherish the Earth, respect every form of life and become responsible stewards of our common home.