One village in India is honoring the life of every newborn baby girl by planting more than 100 trees, a heartwarming tradition that was born out of tragedy.
Following the death of his own daughter, the chief of Rajasthan’s Piplantri village declared that the birth of every girl will be celebrated with the unique ritual, the Guardian reported.
In 2006, Shyam Sunder Paliwal’s 16-year-old daughter Kiran tragically and unexpectedly died.
In an effort to commemorate her life, Paliwal planted a burflower tree — or kadam , in Hindi — that symbolizes sublime love.
Overwhelmed with grief, he thought about how the birth of a girl in Piplantri was historically met with disappointment and attempts to end that baby’s life. He decided to take it upon himself to ensure the care and protection of all future girls born into the village.
And so, Paliwal declared that from that day forward, all female newborns would be celebrated with the planting of 111 fruit trees.
The number 111 was chosen because in Indian culture, it is believed to bring success.
Not only would this new tradition contribute to the local environment, but it would also turn the birth of baby girls into something to be honored, not condemned.
“With this, I’m doing two things: showing joy at the arrival of a daughter and honoring the land where my ancestors lived and died,” the chief explained to the Guardian .
Since the tradition first began back in 2006, the village has planted a total of 350,000 trees.
Paliwal estimates that 65-70 girls are born in the village every year, and each one is celebrated during the ritual.
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On the specifically outlined day every monsoon, new mothers carry their baby girls in a wicker basket to the spot where the new saplings will be planted. Then the trees are planted into the ground, all 111 of them.
Paliwal not only ensures the babies have trees planted in their honor, but he also sets up financial funds for the girls as well.
Donations are collected at the time of every birth so a total of 31,000 rupees (about $418 USD) can be set aside for the baby. Over the next twenty years, that money collects interest and will eventually amount to 50,000 rupees ($675 USD) for the girl. But she will only receive those funds if her family agrees to Paliwal’s terms.
“It gives the family financial security,” he explained.” In return, [her parents] pledge to look after the trees, send her to school, and not marry her off before the legal age of 18.”
Paliwal is extremely passionate about his tree ritual, and regularly checks to make sure the 350,000 plants are being well-taken care of.
He also checks to make sure that girls are attending school, as per the agreement of their birth donations.
Thanks to this passionate chief’s mission, nearly half a million trees have been planted all across the village. But perhaps more importantly, thousands of local girls will be able to become educated, independent women who know their village is proud of them, and has been proud of them since the day they were born.
h/t: Guardian
