The Village That Grows a Forest for Every Daughter

In Piplantri, a small village in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, the birth of a daughter used to be met with silence — or worse. Like many parts of rural India, the community had a long history of gender discrimination. Daughters were seen as financial burdens.

That changed when former village leader Shyam Sundar Paliwal lost his daughter Kiran to illness. Devastated, he planted trees in her memory. Then he made a decision that would transform the entire village: from that day forward, 111 trees would be planted for every girl born in Piplantri.

The tradition took hold. When a girl is born, the community gathers and plants 111 trees together — a public celebration of her arrival. The villagers also collect approximately 31,000 rupees (about $370) from the family and the local governing body, which is placed in a fixed deposit in the girl's name. She receives the money when she turns 20, along with a written agreement from her parents that she will be educated, not married off as a child, and that the trees planted in her name will be cared for.

The results have been extraordinary. The village now has more than 350,000 trees. What was once semi-arid scrubland is now green and thriving. The trees have raised the water table, supported local wildlife, and created a sustainable source of income through fruit and timber. Marble mining companies that once threatened the local environment have been pushed back.

But the deeper transformation is social. Female infanticide has stopped entirely in Piplantri. Girls are not just tolerated — they're celebrated. Their births literally make the village greener, richer, and more alive.

Every tree in the forest is named after a girl.