Celebrating Every Girl in Piplantri Village with 111 Trees

In a time when girls in other countries are struggling, here is a ray of hope in India in Piplantri Village Rajasthan.

Girls have struggled all throughout the world and in the news, we’ve seen this over and over again. It can make us feel hopeless. The story below offers a ray of hope and is an example of how the world is changing and becoming a safer and better place for girls at least in some places right now. Perhaps there will be other leaders who will emulate the success of this village.

In many parts of the world, baby boys are favoured over girls. In this story, the focus is on India. There the birth of a girl can become a financial burden for families due to the dowry system. That a monetary system should infringe on the divine feminine is of the old world. A few people working together at the Great Big Story which is now defunct created several mini-documentaries that celebrate cultures and life around the world. They produced this piece which is brief but the message is clear –

The people of Piplantri are celebrating the birth of girls in their village by planting 111 trees for each newborn girl. At the time of the making of this mini-doc two years ago, around 350,000 trees had been planted and if the calculations are correct they have surpassed the 400,000 mark by now.

111 is an auspicious number. Trees are needed on our Earth today. Educated people regardless of gender can make the world a better place. There is so much beauty in this new tradition. Of course, there are so many more benefits too.

It all started because Shyam Sunder Paliwal’s teenage daughter, Kiran, died. He planted a tree in her honour. He is an active leader in ensuring that girls have the opportunity for education. This celebration of the divine feminine goes further as the intention is they shall be protected from harm.

This is a beautiful tribute to his daughter but even more importantly everyone wins when girls are celebrated and valued. The trees provide beauty and sustenance to the village and they give meaning and purpose as they are cared for by the girls and their families. The Earth benefits and the people on it. How can anyone not see the benefits of such a wonderful and new tradition? This is truly a show of cooperation and nourishing instead of an old paradigm of fear and lack.