The Indian Village Where Girls Rule一个珍爱女孩的印度村庄

巴维亚·多尔 涂杰

Shyam Sunder Paliwal cracked open the pod and the blood-red seeds dribbled out. Holding it in his palm， he offered the fruit of the sindoor1 shrub up for inspection.

The plant， which produces the vermilion2 powder that Indians often apply on their foreheads for cosmetic and religious purposes， doesn’t normally grow in this region. But it is one of many types of trees that now grow in Piplantri， a collection of six connected hamlets in Rajasthan in north-west India.

In 2005 when Paliwal became the sarpanch3， or village head， marble mining had denuded4 the hills; the surrounding land was parched and the foliage degraded. And like in most of India， daughters here were viewed as a financial burden and devalued compared to sons， who typically help support their parents economically.

Then in 2007， Paliwal’s 17-year-old daughter Kiran died following a bout of dehydration5. Heart-broken but eager to honour her memory， his family planted a tree near the entrance of the village in her name. As Piplantri’s leader， Paliwal thought， why not turn this one-off event into a wider programme？ Soon， other villagers began to follow his lead.

Now， every time a girl is born in Piplantri， villagers plant 111 trees an auspicious number for local Hindus to both honour her and to regenerate the environment.

“If we can do it in one girl’s name， why not do it in every girl’s name？” said Paliwal. The region now has more than 350，000 trees， from mango and gooseberry to sandalwood， neem， peepal and bamboo， growing across the once-barren lands and covering an estimated 1，000 hectares.

In recent years， Paliwal’s simple idea has expanded into a broader eco-feminist movement. Along with tree planting， new parents of daughters also sign an affidavit6 saying they won’t marry them off before they turn 18 and will let them finish school. Villagers also chip in7 to open a fixed-deposit account for each girl with Rs 31，000 （£305） that she can access once she turns 18， either for her education or to help pay for her wedding. What’s more， Piplantri’s growing forest is now serving as an example of how Indian villages can literally go green while improving their water management.

Under leafy cover， and with warnings to watch out for snakes and scorpions， Paliwal led me to a small clearing with a single， slender burflower tree near the village’s entrance. It was the first tree he planted， now surrounded by scores of others.

Though villagers plant the 111 trees for each girl born year-round， every August during the monsoon8， a special tree-planting ceremony takes place for all girls born in the preceding 12 months. Paliwal estimates that about 60 girls are born each year in this 5，500-person village. Grown girls who had trees planted in their names now come to tie rakhi bracelets9 around saplings， considering them siblings to be venerated during the festival of Raksha Bandhan10.

As Piplantri’s trees have grown， its groundwater level has increased and a marked cultural shift has improved the status of women. Nikita Paliwal （no relation to Shyam Sunder）， now 14， was among the first girls to have trees planted in her name. Now， she hopes to become a doctor and work for the poor. “We should also stand on our own feet，” she said.

Wearing a bright red sari11 and a broad smile， Nanubhai Paliwal， Nikita’s aunt， said she had two sons but as Piplantri started honouring its girls， she started wishing for granddaughters. Now she has two， and trees were planted when they were born.

“Earlier they were considered a burden. Now we don’t think that way，” she said. “We have no particular desire for sons.” She then looked around， pointing at all the trees. “It was a small village. We worked hard， we made it special. And this way we get employment and income， too.”

The village has set up women’s cooperatives that create products from aloe vera， such as juices， food items and gels， to sell in the village. In the coming year， they plan to expand to products made from gooseberries， bamboo and honey， all of which have been planted or cultivated as part of the village’s greening efforts.

Villagers also plant 11 trees whenever someone dies. All of the planting takes place on communal land spread through the village that had previously been illegally developed. Shyam Sunder pointed to the mountains in the distance， carved out and deeply mined， but showing nascent12 vegetation.

“Where there is mining， there is degradation，” he said. “We have been working to offset this.”

Yana Paliwal （no relation to Nikita or Shyam Sunder）， who is just two years old， doesn’t understand yet that trees have been planted in her name or that her parents have high hopes for her. Her mother， Sangeeta Paliwal， who moved to Piplantri after marrying 12 years ago， had little access to education as a girl but is determined her daughter should study first and think of marriage later. Sangeeta used to cover her face out of modesty， following the conservative practice of ghunghat13 in her own village， but not in Piplantri. Here， she was able to finish her college degrees through distance learning， she drives， and she has started working.

“Things have changed，” she said.

希亞姆·孙达尔·帕里瓦尔打开一个果荚，血红色的种子撒落出来。他把这些朱砂色灌木的果实捧在手心，让我查看。

这种植物能产生朱红色的粉末，印度人经常在化妆或举行宗教仪式时将它涂抹在额头上。这种植物在这一地区本不常见，但它现在却是比布兰曲村种植的许多树种之一。比布兰曲村位于印度西北部拉贾斯坦邦，由六个相连的小村庄组成。

2005年，帕里瓦尔成为该村村长。彼时，大理石开采导致山体裸露;矿山周围土地干涸，植被退化。和印度大部分地区一样，与通常在经济上能够帮衬父母的男孩相比，这里的女孩不受重视，被视为经济负担。

2007年，帕里瓦尔17岁的女儿基兰因脱水死亡。家人伤心不已，渴望以某种形式纪念她。于是，他们在村口附近以她的名义种了一棵树。作为村长，帕里瓦尔想，何不把这件个人的事推广成一个项目，让大家广泛参与呢？很快，村民们纷纷跟随他的脚步。

现如今，在比布兰曲村，每有一个女孩出生，村民们就会种下111棵树——对于当地的印度教教徒，这是一个吉祥数字。他们以这种方式纪念每个女孩的出生，并使自然环境再生。

“如果我们能以一个女孩的名义这么做，为什么不为每个女孩这么做呢？”帕里瓦尔说。目前，这个地区拥有超过35万棵树，在这片曾经贫瘠的土地上，种植了从芒果、醋栗到檀香、楝树、菩提和竹子等各种植物，占地估计有1000公顷。

近年来，帕里瓦尔这个简单的想法已经发展成一场更为广泛的生态女性主义运动。除了种树，新生女儿的父母还会签署一份宣誓书，承诺在女儿18岁之前不会把她嫁出去，并让她们完成学业。村民们还集资为每个女孩开设一个3.1万卢比（约合305英镑）的定额存款账户。年满18岁以后，女孩可以用这笔钱支付教育或婚礼的费用。此外，随着森林覆盖率越来越高，比布兰曲村现已成为印度村庄的一个范例，告诉人们如何在改善水资源管理的同时真正做到绿色环保。

帕里瓦尔带我穿过枝繁叶茂的树丛，并提醒我当心蛇和蝎子。我们来到村口附近的一块小空地，那里有一棵细长的团花树。这是他种下的第一棵树，现在它的周围已有几十棵树了。

除了为每个出生的女孩种下111棵树，在每年8月的季风雨季期间，村民们还会为过去12个月出生的所有女孩举行一场特殊的植树仪式。帕里瓦尔估计，在这个5500人的村庄，每年大约有60个女孩出生。已经以自己名义种了树的成年女孩会来到小树苗周围，为它们系上“护身绳”，把它们也当作“兄妹节”上要护佑的兄弟。

随着比布兰曲村的树木生长，地下水水位上升，文化上的显著转变也提高了女性地位。现年14岁的尼基塔·帕里瓦尔（与前文的希亚姆·孙达尔·帕里瓦尔无亲戚关系）属于第一批拥有以自己名义种植的树木的女孩。现在，她希望长大后当医生，为贫困人群服务。“我们也应该自力更生。”她说。

尼基塔的伯母纳努拜·帕里瓦尔身穿亮红色的纱丽，笑容灿烂。她说自己有两个儿子，随着女孩开始在村子里受到尊重，她开始希望能早點抱上孙女。现在她已经有了两个孙女，她们出生时，村里也给种了树。

她说：“早些时候，女孩被视为一种负担。现在大家不这么想了，没有人特别想要儿子。”然后她环顾四周，指着所有的树说：“这是个小村庄。我们通过努力让它变得与众不同。这么做的同时，我们也得到了工作和收入。”

村里成立了妇女合作社，生产芦荟制品，如果汁、副食和凝胶，在村里销售。接下来的一年，他们计划拓展产品种类，生产包括以醋栗、竹子和蜂蜜等为原料的制品，所有这些原料都是村庄种植和培育树木等绿化工作的一部分成果。

每当村里有人过世，村民也会种下11棵树。所有种植活动都是在村子的公共土地上进行的，这些土地以前曾遭到非法开采。希亚姆·孙达尔指着远处的一座座山，那些山因深度开采而满目疮痍，但现在已经长出了新生植被。

“哪里有矿产开采，哪里就有生态退化。”他说，“我们一直在努力弥补。”

雅娜·帕里瓦尔（与前文的尼基塔和希亚姆·孙达尔无亲戚关系）只有两岁，她还不明白，人们已经以她的名义种下了树;她也不知道，父母对她有很高的期望。12年前，她的母亲桑吉塔·帕里瓦尔结婚后搬到了比布兰曲村。桑吉塔小时候几乎没有上过学，但她坚定地认为，她的女儿应该先完成学业，再考虑结婚。因为老家村里的保守习俗，桑吉塔过去须用面纱遮脸来保持端庄形象，但在比布兰曲村不用这样。在这里，她得以通过远程教育拿到大学文凭，还可以开车，而且已经开始工作。

“一切都变了。”她说。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1 sindoor“朱砂色”一词在印地语中的发音。  2 vermilion朱红色的。  3 sarpanch（一些南亚国家的）村长。  4 denude使裸露，使光秃。

5 dehydration脱水。  6 affidavit宣誓书。  7 chip in凑钱，共同出资。

8 monsoon印度的季风雨季（每年7月至9月）。  9 rakhi bracelet护身绳，保护绳，兄妹绳。  10“保护绳节”，亦称“兄妹节”，每年8月的满月之日举行。在这一天，印度妇女无论老少，都会把彩色丝线织成的绳子和花朵系在自己兄弟辈的手腕上，表示保护、帮助和友爱之情。

11 sari纱丽，一种以丝绸为主要材料制成的裹身长巾，是印度、孟加拉国、巴基斯坦、尼泊尔、斯里兰卡等国妇女的传统服装。

12 nascent新生的，新兴的。  13 ghunghat印度妇女的面纱。

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