Girls and 111 Trees: A Wonderful Social Revolution of Pipalantri Village
In Rajasthan, 1999 years ago, the village of Pipalantri was facing the worst and most terrible crises of mining industrialization. The air quality level had completely deteriorated. The entire area was on the verge of extinction. The entire village and the villages in Panchkrosh were facing the consequences of dangerous pollution due to marble mining. Mainly, the dust flying in the air was entering everyone’s body. The rate of people falling ill was high. Mainly, lung and asthma diseases were 86%. The forests and greenery in the surrounding area had been destroyed. The pollution was increasing like a python. There were large marble mines all over the area. The merchant class was wealthy and the government court had great influence. The water level had gone down to eight hundred feet. Drinking water had become very scarce. The village lacked basic amenities and infrastructure, far from road development. People were unable to meet their basic needs. Irrigation and farming were a pipe dream. The dust from the mines covered the topsoil for up to 15 kilometers, making the land barren. The villagers wanted to resettle in this desolate village somewhere far away. The social problems of the village were huge. Women were not getting enough food. Even a simple cup of tea was becoming rare. The men were facing an even bigger problem. That was that no one was marrying the girls in this village. Girls were physically attractive and no one in that village would give them girls from outside. The entire society was malnourished due to pollution.
Piplantri village was facing its own destruction. It was enduring torture. The village was in a dilemma after the mining industry and the existence of the village were destroyed by the money laundering. In the Marwari social system, girls were still seen as objects that no one wanted to take. While the village Sarpanch Shri. Shyamsundar Paliwal was visiting other villages, he noticed a serious thing. That is, girls were being killed before birth. They did not even sprout. If a girl was given birth, she was killed without giving a piece of food. Finally, the mother had to die of suffocation and starvation. Such cruel horror was seen in the society all over Rajasthan. The rate of malnutrition among women was high.
In 2007, Shri Paliwal’s daughter Kiran died due to dehydration. It had a huge impact on his mind. He wanted to bring about a new revolution. He was thinking day and night. He could not find a way out. One day, a dawn like a sunbeam dawned on him. And from his thinking, the idea of a revolution in Piplatree village came to him. A way to come out of the socio-economic crisis with a sense of vitality was found. For that, the important thing was to change the mindset of the entire society. This work was not easy. Just as a phoenix bird leaps from the ashes, the rise of Piplatree village from the dust became revolutionary for the entire country. And this work had to be noted at the global level.
Shri Shamsunder Paliwal first created awareness to produce more water and plant more trees in public places. From there, it all started and Shri Ganesha was born. They needed land to plant trees. The issue of waste land was arising from the waste and garbage dumped from the marble mines. They had taken permission from the Gram Panchayat to dump garbage on 34 hectares of public property. In return, they would get one percent royalty deficit capital on it. Shri Paliwal first canceled the license to dump garbage in the Gram Sabha. And this revolutionary decision was a lucky one for the village. And he ordered to vacate all 34 hectares of land. Due to this, the issue of planting indigenous trees on 34 hectares of land was solved. Sarpanch Shri Paliwal emphasized on the various resources, schemes, and government programs planned at the government level for the reconstruction of the village. The contribution of the villagers to work through public contributions at the village level was valuable. Later, funds were collected with the cooperation of the mine owners and helped to complete the village plans. Water pipes were installed. A magnificent building for an educational institution was built from some of the income. Emphasis was placed on higher education for girls. The Ganga of Knowledge was opened up without depriving girls of education. As a result, literacy, customs and traditions started to increase. Girls and boys started to benefit from education. Rural development gradually improved.
A single-point girl child rescue program was planned for planting 111 trees. The slogan “Save the daughter, save the country” should be considered the origin of Piplatree. When a girl was born in the village, the family started the tradition of planting and preserving 111 trees. Gradually, Piplatree village started turning green. A mass tree plantation was done on the abandoned mining belt. It was continuously supported by the mine owner. People developed an interest in planting trees. Many seminars started being held on the environment. The village Gram Panchayat started receiving awards from the state government and the central government for many schemes. From these awards, further work started being completed. This work was being done through all the cooperation. Sarpanch Shamsunder Paliwal alone could not do it. This was achieved because the villagers considered it very valuable. When a girl was born (60 like every year), she was taken away with respect in a basket like God Krishna. By planting 111 trees in the name of the same girl throughout the year, the family took care and responsibility of growing the trees. Neem, pipal, amla, vad, bamboo and aloe vera, rose were planted in the village and its surroundings to create a forest. The destruction of the environment was stopped mainly by planting indigenous trees. This paved the way for sustainable income generation. It was mandatory for family members to take care of the trees until they bear fruit. This social commitment was created in every family. Every year, the festival of Raksha Bandhan is celebrated in a very different way. In which it was mandatory for girls and brothers to tie a rakhi (a sacred thread) to the trees, which are a symbol of immense love and protection. Due to this bold initiative, three and a half lakh trees bloomed in five to six years. As a result, the water level at 800 feet rose 20 feet above the water level. And this miracle became beneficial for the entire village and the surroundings. This model was later implemented in Rajasthan and other countries. Foreign trees were not planted at all because they were not environmentally friendly. For economic empowerment, the Gram Panchayat implemented the “Kiran Nidhi Yojana” in which the Panchayat opened a bank account in the name of the girl and deposited an initial amount of Rs 21,000 in it for eighteen years. It was mandatory for the parents to sign an affidavit for this. It included not getting married before the age of 18 and not depriving her of education. Through this initiative, her future worries were removed. Aloe vera was planted in the same area to protect the planted trees from moths, from which each tree is protected naturally with aloe vera juice. And the remaining aloe vera is made into shampoo and gel and sold in the market. In the first year, Shri Paliwal received the Nirmal Gram Puraskar of five lakh rupees. From this program, Shri Paliwal received a prize of 25 lakh rupees. By investing in aloe vera, he increased production. Many Ayurvedic trees and plants were cultivated and their income started coming in. Due to this economy, the village became prosperous and strong. And a sustainable and self-sufficient Gram Panchayat was formed. Due to the increase in irrigation and fertile land, men turned to their own agriculture. And they left their jobs in the mines, due to which the body and health of the villagers working in the mines were constantly deteriorating. Health started improving in agriculture. Diseases like asthma and asthma started getting prevented. Agricultural income increased ten times more than before. Because irrigation schemes were implemented by the Gram Panchayat in a planned manner. The village became self-sufficient and people started coming from all over the country for study tours. As a result, foreign scholars started coming and visiting.
Today, Piplatri village is self-sufficient by focusing on the open Gram Panchayat government program and the vision of Shri Shamsundar Paliwal. Prizes worth crores of rupees were won at the national level. The village is thriving on natural resources. Shri Shamsundar is implementing this as a modern model village across the country. Apart from this, by increasing awareness about women’s business and education, all-round development of girls has taken place. 100% of girls have become self-sufficient and their educational qualifications have been taken to a high standard. If this is successful in the entire country, we can be at the top in the world competition. Therefore, women can create a powerful and self-sufficient country. Piplantri was created by a historical village. Empowerment of girls was the main achievement. The villagers began to consider the birth of a girl child in this village as a blessing. The birth of a woman is not a burden but a valuable support for the progress of the family. Wild animals started increasing in the forest. Animals increased. Importantly, every person in the village started living a happy life. The Sarpanch brought about a new revolution in the society. As public awareness increased in the village, the villagers pointed out a point. They showed that the development of the village can be completed through public labor. Now it is not enough to change the village. If every village, city and state in the country comes together and actively makes collective changes, then a radical change can be achieved in five years. And the fruits of rural development can be tasted. This village has received numerous awards at the national and international levels for its contribution. Sarpanch Shri Shyamsundar Paliwal has received the Padma Shri award for his work. And Paliwal is in demand all over the country for his lectures on rural development. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and Pimple Tree was created as a model of modernity. In a family where a girl is born, it brings prosperity and wealth to the family. Piplantari girls have become a boon for the village and proved the truth of Indian faith.
Today, despite the abundance of natural resources in our Maharashtra, we have remained tribal. Instead of protecting nature, nature itself sets fire to it. The horror of many forests is great. We are destroying biodiversity by setting fire to the mountains in one year. Its effects are destroying nature for ten years. The entire living being is destroying the seeds of the forests. Wild animals, creatures, grasses, trees are becoming rare.
We have people who spend their lives discussing empty topics on the village porch or in the courtyard. It does not benefit the village or the society. And they oppose the development of the village all their lives by patting their backs. When will we take the example of Piplatri village. If we change, the world will change, otherwise even the stones on the courtyard will not change.
Shri Tanaji Phanse.
Environmentalist.
Navi Mumbai.