Whilst the sight of a female newborn may repulse some groups in India, a small village in southern Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district is celebrating the birth of every female by planting a staggering 111 trees.
It is only in the last several years that the Piplantri village Panchayat, have managed to plant over a quarter million trees on the village’s grazing commons- including neem, sheesham, mango, Amla, as well as many others.
On average there are around 60 girls that are born in this village every year and many parents are often reluctant to accept the child. Scientists have estimated that around 6 million girls have been aborted in India in the last decade.
A committee has been formed which comprises of the village school principal and other members of the community, so that families who are likely to be a part of this statistic have someone to speak to. Funds reaching Rs. 21,000 are raised by the committee from village residents and Rs.10, 000 is requested from the girl’s father, into a fixed deposit which has a maturity period of 20 years.
A representative from the Sikh Awareness Society (wished to remain anonymous) stated, “Whether you are given a girl or a boy, it is still a gift from God. This gift should be relished equally. If I could, I would celebrate with them, by helping them plant trees”.
To secure these females’ welfare, the committee force the parents to sign a proclamation promising that they would not get her married off before the legal age. They must also pledge to maintain her education by sending her to school and also to take care of the trees planted in the girls’ name.
By Aneesa Malik
