Who is Swami Prem Parivartan, aka ‘Peepal Baba’ and why he is grabbing attention for Delhi-Dehradun expressway

Swami Prem Parivartan, popularly known as Peepal Baba, claims to have planted 40,000 sheesham trees along the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. The environmentalist, who has spent decades planting trees, plans to add another four lakh to the stretch.

The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is meant to make travel between the two cities much faster. But while the highway has drawn attention for its scale and the time it will save commuters, an environmentalist has been quietly working on something very different along the route. Swami Prem Parivartan, better known as Peepal Baba, says he has planted 40,000 sheesham trees along the expressway. He now wants to add another four lakh.

Who is Swami Prem Parivartan, known as Peepal Baba?

What makes his effort unusual is the way he goes about it. Peepal Baba and his team often work at night, digging the ground and planting saplings under the cover of darkness. Speaking at the 11th edition of the Himalayan Echoes festival, he described how the team gets the work done before daybreak.

"By 10.30 at night we are digging; by 4 o'clock we have done it," he said.

According to him, the next phase of the plantation drive is planned for February 2027. The target is to plant another four lakh trees along the Dehradun highway.

Peepal Baba's association with trees goes back to his childhood. Born as Swami Prem Parivartan, he began planting trees when he was just 10 years old. His first recorded plantation was on 26 January 1977, when he planted a tree at Pune Military Station.

Over the years, what started as a childhood interest became a lifelong mission. He eventually founded Give Me Trees Trust, an organisation that works with volunteers to plant and protect trees across India.

He earned the name Peepal Baba because of his long-standing work with peepal trees. However, his plantation drives are not limited to one variety. His organisation works with several native species, including banyan, neem, jamun and sheesham.

According to Give Me Trees Trust, its work has helped plant and preserve around 25 million trees. The organisation also works with schools, colleges and local communities, encouraging people to take up plantation drives and care for the saplings after planting them.

Peepal Baba has also written about his experiences in his book, Ghosts on Peepal Trees: My Journey from Folktales to Forests. His work has largely centred on a simple idea: planting a tree is only the beginning. It also needs to survive and grow.

Why is he planting trees along the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway?

The plantation drive comes at a time when the environmental impact of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway has been a subject of discussion. The 213-km corridor, built at a cost of more than ₹12,000 crore, is designed to cut the journey between Delhi and Dehradun from over six hours to around two-and-a-half hours.

The highway also passes through areas that are important for wildlife. To reduce its impact, the project includes a 12-km elevated wildlife corridor, animal passages and dedicated elephant underpasses.

However, the construction has also involved the removal and transplantation of trees. In a parliamentary response in July 2025, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said 17,913 trees had been felled or transplanted foafforestat

r the project. It also mentioned compensatory afforestation across 157.2 hectares and plans for 50,600 avenue trees within the highway's right of way.

This is where Peepal Baba's work along the route becomes particularly relevant. He wants to bring more greenery to the stretch and believes that tree plantation should be part of how people think about large infrastructure projects.

His approach is not limited to planting as many saplings as possible. He has also spoken about the need to protect older trees, pointing out that a mature tree cannot be replaced overnight by planting a new one. Saplings need years of care before they can offer the same shade and ecological benefits.

About the Author

Trisha Bhattacharya is a Senior Content Producer at Livemint, with over two years of experience covering entertainment news from India and beyond. She spends her days tracking what’s trending, breaking down pop culture moments, and turning fast-moving entertainment stories into sharp, engaging reads that actually make people want to click — and stay. <br> She holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from Lucknow University, a background that shapes her love for layered narratives, strong voices, and stories that linger long after they’re told. Before joining Livemint, Trisha worked with India Today as an entertainment journalist and film critic. There, she reviewed films, covered industry news, and built a strong foundation in storytelling and cultural analysis. <br> Trisha enjoys working at the intersection of media, culture, and audience interest, always looking for fresh angles and formats. Films, shows, and music are not just her beat but her biggest passion — something that naturally reflects in her writing. Whether it’s cinema, streaming shows, music, or internet trends, she approaches every story with curiosity and intent. <br> Outside the job description, she’s unapologetically passionate about films, shows, and music — sometimes a little too passionate, if you ask her. That enthusiasm often spills into her work, adding personality, urgency, and a touch of chaos that keeps her writing alive. For Trisha, entertainment isn’t just a beat — it’s a language she speaks fluently.