Peepal Baba, Trees and Community Participation
Mr Azad Jain fondly known as Peepal Baba lives in Delhi and works on the cause of tree plantations across the country. Baba has planted lakhs of trees in a span of 40 years. At present, he is engaged in the maintenance of about 20 crore trees and furthering his idea with the help of his organization ‘Give Me Tree’ Trust. He believes, “We can engage with environmental movements in three ways, namely political, administrative and community.” He is at the forefront of community work and tackles the complex issue of tree plantation and its conservation in a simple manner.
How to protect and promote?
Individual responsibility for the upkeep of the plants is important. Which trees are important? Which trees should we give priority to? Peepal Baba has a specific interest in planting and promoting Peepal trees. The reason for this is based on culture and science. Describing the benefits of Peepal, Baba emphasizes its long life span, minimal maintenance and its various medicinal uses in treating ailments. The plantation is only the initial stage, the real responsibility is to monitor its well-being in the initial few years.
The trust identifies the land, takes the permission of the government and plans the development of the trees. They use the donated and barren land for planting. To connect with communities, popular arts and culture are used in the form of street plays etc. Mythological stories are used to convey the message. Local and regional cultures are of great importance.
Major Accomplishments
| Volunteers | Trees Planted | Towns and Cities | Villages | Schools |
| 16,500 | 20 Crore: 2 cr Peepal;
40 lakh Neem; 20 Lakh shrubs and small trees; 20 lakh fruit and other native species |
200 – Chattarpur, Delhi NCR: ARANYA;
Lucknow: Atal Uday Upavan; Sector – 50: Noida and Mohan Nagar, Ghaziabad |
700 | 600 |