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By:

Jitendra Zavar

5 April 2026 at 4:30:23 pm

From barren land to lush green Devrai

The inspiring journey of Nashik’s ‘Tree Man’ Shekhar Gaikwad Nashik: If a person sets their mind to it, they can make the impossible possible. A prime example of this is the 'Mountain Man' of Bihar, Dashrath Manjhi, who carved a road through a mountain using only a hammer and chisel. His life story was even adapted into a highly successful film. Such passionate personalities are found in many places, and Shekhar Gaikwad of Nashik is one of them. He has taken up the mission of making the city...

From barren land to lush green Devrai

The inspiring journey of Nashik’s ‘Tree Man’ Shekhar Gaikwad Nashik: If a person sets their mind to it, they can make the impossible possible. A prime example of this is the 'Mountain Man' of Bihar, Dashrath Manjhi, who carved a road through a mountain using only a hammer and chisel. His life story was even adapted into a highly successful film. Such passionate personalities are found in many places, and Shekhar Gaikwad of Nashik is one of them. He has taken up the mission of making the city green. Regardless of whether he receives help or not, he has continued his work. Dedicated to tree conservation for the past three decades, this enthusiast is known today as the 'Tree Man' of Nashik. He has planted more than 1.5 lakh trees. A mechanical engineer by profession, Shekhar Gaikwad always had a passion for the environment. This led him to start his afforestation work in 1998. He conducted an in-depth study of native species that are beneficial to the environment and launched plantation drives in various parts of Nashik. The most significant milestone in this journey is the 'Fashicha Dongar' (Hangman's Hill) area near Satpur. This historical hill, where freedom fighters were hanged during the British era, lay barren. It was covered with 'Gliricidia' trees, which degrade the soil quality. Taking it as a challenge, Shekhar Gaikwad sought permission from the Forest Department to transform this hill. On June 5, 2015, the site was named 'Devrai' (Sacred Grove). Since then, the hill began to turn lush green. Today, more than 35,000 trees of native species are thriving across this 100-acre expanse. This area is no longer just a forest but has become a 'Biodiversity Park' rich in life, providing a natural habitat for many birds and wildlife. The hill has now become a center for nature tourism. Gaikwad's devotion to nature is astounding. While managing his business, he spends every Saturday and Sunday in this Devrai without fail. He prioritises manual labour (Shramdaan) over family functions or weddings. Consequently, his friends and relatives now plan their events on days other than Saturday or Sunday. Initially, he had about 15 volunteers, but that number gradually decreased. Now, he carries out this work himself along with two security guards. Due to the dense forest, the presence of leopards has increased, and he often encounters snakes while working, yet his mission continues unabated. Without Aid Shekhar Gaikwad implements all his environmental projects solely through community participation, without any government or political assistance. The monthly expenditure, including the salaries of two security guards and other costs, amounts to approximately Rs 90,000. He manages this expense through his own funds and with the help of nature-loving citizens. Gaikwad does not stop at tree conservation; he loves animals and birds equally. He treats injured birds at his own expense. Today, due to the "concrete jungle," sparrows are on the verge of extinction. Therefore, he is also running a campaign to save sparrows. To provide them a space in homes, he creates sparrow nests and sells them on a 'no profit, no loss' basis. Gaikwad has also started a unique experiment of a 'Nature Library' within the Devrai forest. The library houses numerous books providing information on trees, grass, bamboo, shrubs, vines, birds, animals, snakes, butterflies, and bees.

AI in Sperm Sorting: An Unbiased Decision for A Better Outcome

Artificial Intelligence or AI is revolutionising fertility treatments of the future. The inclusion of AI enhances the accuracy, efficiency, and objectivity of sperm selection, hence potentially improving fertility outcomes by leaps and bounds. Traditionally, sperm sorting through manual methods is subjective to judgments. Processes like centrifugation and swim-up methods are used to separate sperm based on motility and morphology. Although they are effective, they have their limitations, leading to human errors that affect the success rates of fertility treatment. For instance, studies have shown that traditional sperm sorting techniques can have variability in success rates, with reported live birth rates ranging between 15 per cent to 25 per cent per cycle depending on the method and quality of sperm. Hence the introduction of AI helps in maintaining consistency in evaluations of sperm, using the same data set for every sample which leads to better judgments.


Automation and Standardisation- Automation of sperm selection and also introduction of AI in the process have improved the results in ART. AI-assisted sperm selection improves the accuracy in choosing high-quality sperm for fertilisation purposes, and also, pregnancy and live birth rates might be improved. Technologies like Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection along with AI ensure the chances of pregnancies increase by about 10-20 per cent compared to the standard procedures. AI and Automation will decrease time taken to analyze sperm and increase opportunities to select better sperm with DNA integrity for better development and higher success rates in embryo selection. These processes ensure that the sperm selection process follows consistent criteria, reducing variability in outcomes caused by human error.


Analysing Complex Data for Better Outcomes- AI plays a crucial in improving IVF outcomes by analysing complex data and providing tailored recommendations. AI-driven tools and models such as those on SpOvum.ai point towards an opportunity to optimise ovarian stimulation decisions by assessing patient characteristics and follicle growth patterns. A study revealed that the use of AI in IVF improved egg yield and reduced medication costs. AI enables fertility specialists to make data-driven choices, improving overall IVF success rates and streamlining treatment processes.


Reducing Human Error- AI models can continuously learn and refine their performance by being trained on newer data. This adaptability ensures the technology remains unbiased and up-to-date with the latest scientific insights into sperm quality and fertility success rates. Studies have shown that AI-driven sperm sorting can decrease human-related errors by up to 25 per cent, improving sperm selection quality in terms of morphology and motility.


Reduction of Sperm Damage- The new AI-driven sperm sorting techniques also include microfluidic systems that are known to exhibit several advantages over the most commonly used conventional method, which is centrifugation. Traditional centrifugation methods, such as density gradient centrifugation, also cause severe oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation of the sperm because of the very high mechanical forces involved. The AI-infused microfluidic sorting minimises this damage significantly by involving gentler processes that mimic the natural pathway of sperm selection. The studies show that the process of microfluidic sorting decreases DNA fragmentation in sperm, which gives improved opportunities for success for IVF. For example, DNA fragmentation is 20 percent lower in sperm sorted using microfluidic processes than in traditional processing methods.


AI is bound to play an increasingly definitive role in fertility treatments, which will improve the outcomes for couples experiencing infertility.


(The author is a Co-Founder & CEO at SpOvum® Technologies. Views personal.)

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