A doctor-turned-entrepreneur from Kolkata who turned discarded mango seeds into a nationwide green movement — one gutli at a time.
21L+ Seeds received
6L+ Saplings distributed
500+ Indian varieties
2017 Mission began
Who is he?
From a doctor’s coat to mango seeds
Jasmit Singh Arora is a 53-year-old social entrepreneur based in Kolkata, West Bengal, originally from Amritsar, Punjab. Trained as an Ayurvedic doctor, he spent the first three decades of his professional life building successful businesses in IT and pharmaceuticals — founding companies including Organicsardar Private Limited, Globico Solution Private Limited, and Onset Technologies.
But prosperity alone left him restless. “I always knew I was not meant for a job,” he recalls. “I needed the freedom to choose how I live. But after years of success, I began to realise that true success is not just about what you achieve for yourself — it is about what you give back.” That inner calling, shaped in part by watching his mother’s community volunteerism, eventually redirected his entire life toward the environment, farmers, and future generations.
“When I saw mango trees being cut down, and I realised how paddy farming drained water and poisoned the soil, I felt compelled to act. These are not just ecological problems — they are human problems.”
— Jasmit Singh Arora
The Gutli Mission
A revolution that started with a seed
In 2017–2018, Jasmit began what would become the Gutli Mission — a deceptively simple idea: collect discarded mango seeds (gutlis) from citizens, schools, vendors, and neighbourhoods, germinate and graft them into healthy saplings using local Bengal varieties like Himsagar and Golapkhas, and donate them free of cost to marginal farmers across West Bengal.
The logic was powerful: paddy farming earns a farmer roughly ₹20,000 per acre annually while exhausting soil and groundwater. A mature mango tree, by contrast, produces fruit for decades, creates a carbon sink, promotes biodiversity, and can tap into premium domestic and export markets across the US, Europe, and Australia. Arora saw the mango not as a fruit — but as a long-term financial instrument for India’s poorest farmers.
Gram Samriddhi Foundation
Through his foundation, Arora has worked with farmers across Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum, and the Sunderbans — providing training in organic farming, educating them about the hazards of chemical fertilisers, and facilitating the transition to sustainable fruit cultivation. Saplings are nurtured at nurseries in Diamond Harbour and Burdwan before distribution.
How to join
How the mission works — anyone can help
1 Eat the mango. Enjoy the fruit. Save the seed (gutli) from being thrown away.
2 Clean the seed. Remove all pulp carefully to prevent fungus from forming.
3 Dry it in the shade. Leave it for 2–3 days until it is fully dry. Never use plastic bags — use paper or cardboard.
4 Send it to Jasmit. Post the seeds or contact him at 9831459390 to arrange collection or drop-off.
Impact & recognition
From mockery to a national movement
When he started, many mocked him. That changed in 2024, when a video he created with his daughter went viral, sparking an avalanche of support from across India — and beyond. Seeds began arriving from Italy, Canada, New Zealand, and other countries. Schools like La Martinière and St. Xavier’s Kolkata became active participants, turning students into eco-ambassadors.
21 lakh+ Seeds received from across India and internationally
6 lakh+ Saplings successfully distributed to farmers
80,000 Saplings grafted in 2024 alone
Award-winning
Documentary Gutli Man wins at Kolkata International Micro Film Festival
Beyond saplings, Arora has introduced Tree ka Langar — a community movement inspired by the Sikh tradition of langar (community meal), where trees are planted and nurtured collectively as an act of service. He also guides farmers on monetising their orchards through carbon credit mechanisms, connecting ecological action with tangible future income.
Students at the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute made a documentary titled Gutli Man about his work, which won awards at both the Kolkata International Micro Film Festival and the Abhijaat International Short Film Festival. He has spoken at national forums, including the World Environment Day seminar at Kolkata’s National Library.
“The name ‘Gutli Man’ represents something powerful. Once I was mocked for it — now it stands for a movement that connects cities to villages, children to farmers, and India to the planet.”
— Jasmit Singh Arora
His roles & vision
Entrepreneur, organiser, and changemaker
Beyond the Gutli Mission, Jasmit wears many hats. He is Convenor of the Gram Samriddhi Foundation, Founder and Vice President of the Uncommon Foundation, Secretary of the Indian National Forum of Art and Culture, International Convenor and Working President of Pragaati Banglaa, and a patron of the cultural organisation Sangbedan. He studied at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, and lives in the city, where he has made his canvas for change.
His long-term vision is nothing short of transformative: plant one crore mango trees across India, make tree-planting a national habit, help pull India out of its dismal 176th rank on the Environmental Performance Index, and create a model where ecological responsibility and farmer prosperity go hand in hand.
