Every weekend, the Kharmale family ascends the sun-baked hills of Junnar, Pune, armed with spades, shovels, and an unshakable mission. Ramesh Kharmale, a 49-year-old ex-serviceman turned forest guard, digs contour trenches to trap rainwater, while his wife, Swati, clears invasive weeds from ancient Shivaji-era stepwells. Their children, Mayuresh and Vaishnavi, scatter seeds into freshly dug pits—tiny acts of defiance against a warming planet.
“Conservation is my passion, but it’s also my duty,” says Kharmale, whose 17-year Army stint forged his discipline, now redirected toward healing the land. After brief careers in banking and education, he found his true calling in 2021: a solo crusade to combat water scarcity atop the Khandoba Temple in Dhamankhel. Timing the project to his birthday, he spent 300 gruelling hours over two months carving 70 trenches into the mountainside. “Every morning, I would spend four hours on the mountaintop digging the water-absorbing ditches and then report for work,” he recalls.
These serpentine trenches, totalling 412 meters, can store approximately 8 lakh litres of rainwater per season, significantly boosting groundwater levels. “With adequate rainfall, the system could recharge up to 16 million litres of water annually,” Kharmale notes.
But his vision extends beyond water. The family has planted over 450 trees, with 500 more planned for the trench-lined slopes. Each summer, they haul water up the hills to shield saplings from vanva (forest fires). Since 2013, come June, before the onset of the monsoon, the family treks to the Sahyadri range to disperse seedballs. “Our mission to make Junnar’s tourist spots completely plastic-free is a continuous journey, and we’ve been fortunate to receive enthusiastic support from dedicated volunteers along the way,” shares Kharmale.
Oxygen Park
While the trenches combat water security, the family’s ambitions extend to creating green oases. Like the upcoming “Oxygen Park” in a one-and-a-half-acre plot in Vadaj village, 3km from Dhamankhel, where they reside. “We began planting wild varieties like Peepal, Cluster Fig, Mahogany, Neem and Bamboo—all aged between two years and more — last July and have so far planted 175 of them and added another 50. We have built four ponds too. To deter cattle from entering the Park, we have dug up long trenches. Once, without any vegetation, it now attracts hundreds of birds,” says Swati. “This model, we plan to replicate in other neighbouring villages in the coming years.”
Once spring sets in, Kharmale scours the forest collecting seeds and is proud of his huge collection: 15 varieties of forest-dwelling trees, which he shares freely with tree lovers and nurseries. Says he, “I regularly receive requests on my social media accounts for native seeds.”
Writes Laxman Kolte in Lokmat, a leading Marathi daily: “Kharmale has involved local youth and villagers in his initiatives, organising awareness campaigns and training sessions on environmental protection. He has also used social media to spread awareness and encourage more people to join his mission. His work has become a model for environmental conservation in the region.”
Taking conservation to the youth
Educating about Kharmale actively involves his family, local citizens, and schoolchildren in his projects, fostering a culture of environmental responsibility. He has so far visited some 400-plus schools in Thane, Kolhapur, Baramati, Solapur, Nashik, Karad, Pune and Sangli at his expense to give talks on sustainable forest growth, ecosystem restoration, carbon sequestration, biodiversity protection, and community participation to foster a resilient and sustainable environment.
“I have lost count of the number of talks I may have given, but I can say with conviction that our schoolchildren are very communicative on the issues affecting our environment,” he says.
His YouTube channel, with 2.8 lakh followers, demystifies trench-digging and seed conservation. Recognition has followed: state awards, a Forest Department commendation, and even a documentary, Couple for the Environment, by the Savitribai Phule Pune University’s Educational Multimedia Research Center (EMMRC), and has received the best educational program award in the government institutions category at the National Educational Research and Training Council (NCRT) event held in Shillong (Meghalaya).
His public outreach, participation in rescue operations, and social work have earned him several honours, including the ‘Shivneri Bhushan award’ from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“Kharmale is a conservationist to the core, whether on or off-duty,” says Junnar Forest Ranger Nitin Vidhete. “He has actively contributed to forest fire prevention by cutting the dry grasses as winter months set in, constructing waterholes for wildlife, dispersing seed balls in multiple locations, assisting the Forest Department in training government guides for environmental conservation and even helping identify families who cut trees to use them as fuel wood. These families are now beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), which provides deposit-free LPG (cooking gas).”
Makes Junnar Proud
Santosh Jadhav, sarpanch of Dhamankhel village, calls Kharmale “a proud son of Junnar taluka” for bringing recognition to the region through his photography and advocacy for tourism.”
In 2018, the Maharashtra government declared Junnar a “tourist destination,” recognising many attributes of Kharmale’s relentless advocacy.
Anchored by the historic Shivneri Fort—the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj — Junnar is rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. The area boasts ancient forts, cave complexes, temples, and Islamic heritage sites, making it a comprehensive tourist destination.
Through his social media platforms, including the popular “Nisargaramya Junnar Taluka” Facebook page and Instagram accounts, Kharmale has highlighted 12 historical underground routes in Junnar, and showcased 16 ancient stone sculptures of Gajalakshmi and ancient stone carvings located in various villages and most importantly, rediscovered seven forgotten rock-cut sculptures in Junnar.
Although his social media presence is rooted in Marathi, Ramesh Kharamale has now transcended linguistic boundaries: He authored a dedicated chapter on Junnar’s heritage that has found a place in Yuvak Bharti, a Telugu textbook for 11th-standard students. Through this, his passion for Junnar’s legacy now reaches a new, wider audience beyond Maharashtra, bridging cultures and languages.
Edited by Leila Badyari
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