Passion is the fuel that keeps the engine of motivation running, even when you don’t feel motivated at all.
It’s what gets you out of bed in the morning with a sense of purpose and drives you to keep going, even when obstacles arise.
This is what Labasa bred Sonu Sanjay Dutt feels every day, a purpose of fulfilling the role of someone whose mission is to promote forest and wildlife conservation.
Inspired by the beauty of nature and all it offered at a very young age, 40-year-old Mr Sonu has been an officer of the Ministry of Forestry for more than 10 years, based at the Forest Resource Assessment and Conservation Division (FRAC) in Colo-i-Suva.
Of course, growing up on a farm surrounded by trees and natural resources prompted him to become an advocate for forest resource conservation.
“Working at the ministry is a great learning opportunity, even with all the knowledge I already have,” he said.
“I’m learning more about the environment and how nature-based solutions can assist people in their daily lives.”
One can tell the passion in Mr Dutt’s voice when all he talks about is the importance of forests.
“When we see our native trees and endemic trees, they take a lot of time to mature, it’s about 80 to 100 years.
“It’s better to conserve so that our future generations can inherit these basic resources.
“I grew up on a sugarcane farm where our main source of water was a well.
“There were trees all around that gave us mangos, guava, coconuts, and other food. So, at a very young age, I was already appreciating the forest.”
Mr Dutt grew up to be a smart child, excelling at school and with a promising future ahead of him.
Even when he moved to town, he still made it an adventure to go to the forest near him.
“I moved to Suva City after my primary and secondary education in Labasa, but I still wanted to go to the forest, creeks and rivers.
“When I see a forest, I see it like a big supermarket which gives things for free, from the air we breathe to the timber we love.
“And as I grew up, I started learning new things about the environment and now, I am working at the Ministry of Forestry pursuing my dream.
“For those who will be reading this, I implore you to please use your forest trees sustainably, don’t exploit it.
“Please, love your trees.”
