In many parts of India, baby boys are favored over girls, who—due to the dowry system—can be seen as a financial burden on families. But the people of Piplantri are fighting this prejudice. In Piplantri, villagers celebrate the birth of their girls by planting 111 trees for each infant. The ritual began after Shyam Sunder Paliwal lost his teenage daughter, Kiran, and planted a tree in her honor. Today, he is leading the charge to ensure the girls of Piplantri are protected from harm and educated so they can grow up to be independent and selfsufficient. The trees are now becoming a source of beauty, sustenance and growth for the girls and the village as a whole.

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