Padma Shri Shyam Sunder Paliwal
Father of Eco-Feminism
Piplantri, India
Renowned as the “Father of Eco-Feminism”, Padma Shri Shyam Sunder Paliwal is a visionary social architect who pioneered a revolutionary grassroots framework intersecting environmental conservation with gender justice. As the former Sarpanch of Piplantri village in Rajasthan, India, he successfully countered severe drought and deeply entrenched gender biases through an institutionalised community model that links the birth of every girl child to the collective planting of 111 trees.
This strategy seamlessly transforms female empowerment into a driver for ecological renewal. Under his guidance, the community establishes a dedicated financial trust for each newborn daughter, paired with binding safeguards ensuring complete educational access and preventing early marriage. Furthermore, the introduction of women-led agro-cooperatives processing local resources has established sustainable economic independence at the grassroots level. By transforming a depleted mining landscape into a thriving oasis of over 350,000 trees, his work provides a tangible blueprint for balancing human development with ecological integrity.
Conferred with the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, Mr Paliwal embodies the core ethos of the 11th International Interfaith Conference 2026, “Reimagining Our World Together: Placing Gender Equality at the Heart of Humanity”. His lifelong commitment offers delegates and students a practical, replicable model demonstrating that healing the planet begins with safeguarding the dignity, education, and autonomy of the girl child.