Astral Foundation has launched a film that evocatively visualises the transformation in a Rajasthan village brought about by Padma Shri Shyam Sunder Paliwal.
In the film, a young doctor, herself pregnant, travelling by a road transport bus in Rajasthan notes the bare landscape of the area as she gets a call from the Piplantri Hospital – a woman is in labour and it is a difficult case. She tends to the patient and the baby is in the hands of the father, when several people gather in the hospital corridor with sickles in hand.
The air seems charged as the village head approaches the father and seeks to hold the infant. The doctor, thinking the worst, is agitated and wants to know what they are about to do with the child. An old farmer raises a sapling and touches it to the child’s feet. The headman explains to the doctor that each time a girl child is born in the village, they plant trees – for trees and daughters both shower their home with love and shade.
The film is an ode to the efforts of Paliwal, a former Piplantri village council head who lost his daughter in 2006. From then on, he has planted 111 trees in the village each time a girl child was born. The panchayat also opened bank accounts for the infants and parents had to pledge that they would not marry off their daughters before they turned 18.
Paliwal’s efforts over the years have paid off, for not only is Piplantri a green oasis, and relatively unaffected by Rajasthan’s chronic drought, but each girl child is revered and cared for. Paliwal was honoured with the Padma Shri for his efforts.
This International Day of the Girl Child (October 11), the Astral Foundation joined hands to install a 13-km pipeline to supply water to the plantation sites and also planted 5,000 trees to celebrate the birth of 42 daughters.
Kairav Engineer, Director, Astral, said, “We’re honored to join Padma Shri Shyam Sunder Paliwal in celebrating this inspiring initiative, showcasing the power of collective action for positive change. We have supported the initiative this year by installing a 13 km pipeline and planting 5,000 trees. Join us in commemorating International Day of the Girl Child with this campaign.”
Jagruti Engineer, Director, Astral, said, “We are deeply privileged to stand alongside Padma Shri Shyam Sunder Paliwal in support of this initiative to create a better society and a healthier planet. We are deeply committed to championing forward-thinking projects that help in building a sustainable future.”
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(This information is published from a press release.)
