The ecologist known as Pepal Baba, or 'The Wooden Father,' explained in the village of Sorkha, Noida, the installation of an insect hotel in the urban forest 'Harit Upvan.' He continues his nearly half-century-long work to restore India's disappearing green cover, despite the smog over Delhi.
Swami Prem Parivartan, known as Pepal Baba, planted a young tree, continuing his mission. He recalls planting saplings in his youth like a soldier. According to his estimates, his teams have planted millions of such trees.
He noted that what started as a solitary act of planting became a contagious phenomenon. At 60 years old, he turned a childhood passion for trees into one of the largest grassroots planting movements in India.
Pepal Baba emphasized that they did not wait for action from governments, but instead gathered friends, volunteers, travelers, and devotees.
In Delhi, a metropolis of 30 million people suffering from scorching summers and toxic winter air, his response to ecological despair is extremely simple: plant a tree, support its life, and then plant another. He insists that everything possible must be done for the environment.
His organization estimates that it has restored vegetation over an area of more than 270,000 hectares, which is 2,700 square kilometers—more than double that of Delhi and almost comparable to Yosemite National Park in California. The organization states that it has planted or preserved 26 million trees.
However, he objects to focusing attention on figures and exact areas, saying: 'I never counted shade in numbers.' In his opinion, the main thing is how the land where the plants are planted is managed, not the number of trees planted.
His interest in trees was nurtured by his grandmother and the garden he loved to tend. He planted the first trees at the age of 11, including the peepal (Ficus religiosa), a tree sacred to many religions in India with an extensive root system. Peepals have provided shade for village gatherings, temples, tea stalls, and markets for centuries.
In his 2026 autobiography, he calls them 'cooling towers of human hope.' After university, he gave up an academic career and began traveling across India on a scooter to encourage people to plant trees. His nickname came about through a villager he met during plantings.
He decided to use 'Pepal Baba' because he felt the word 'ecologist' was too foreign. He writes that his nickname spread faster than his scooter. During these travels, he covered about 540,000 kilometers, equivalent to more than 13 trips around the Earth.
He lived wherever he found shelter—in temples, homes, bus stops, or under a peepal. With the support of private and public donations, the foundation has attracted major corporate sponsors in recent years to expand its activities. With over 1.6 million followers on Instagram, he now spreads his message through social media and a growing network of volunteers.
Pepal Baba's philosophy has expanded from planting trees to restoring the soil that supports them. He asserts: 'Every civilization that respected its soil prospered; every one that ignored it perished.' He notes that people have built skyscrapers reaching the clouds but forgotten how to kneel and touch the earth. For him, the task remains simple: plant a tree, take care of it, and ensure its survival. When asked about the quantity, he replies: 'As much as is needed to give the Earth a second chance.'