Ghosts on Peepal Trees (My Journey From Folktales to Forests)

Ghosts on Peepal Trees is the remarkable memoir of Swami Prem Parivartan—known to millions as Peepal Baba—one of India's most respected environmentalists.

Drawn from handwritten notes found in diaries, on napkins, in the margins of newspapers, and on scraps of paper, this deeply personal memoir transports readers to the streets of Dehradun and the green cantonment of Pune, where two extraordinary women—his grandmother and a primary school teacher—instilled in him the curiosity, compassion, and reverence for life that would shape his life's work.

As Peepal Baba journeys through more than 220 districts across India, he comes to understand that his grandmother's stories of ghosts living in peepal trees were never simply folklore. They were timeless lessons about how faith can protect forests, how stories can inspire stewardship, and how quiet acts of devotion can preserve the natural world.

Through simple, sincere acts of care—rooted not in ambition but in service—he inspires millions to become part of a movement that grew organically, without formal organization or even a name.

Honest, reflective, and quietly transformative, Ghosts on Peepal Trees is a powerful reminder that we already possess the wisdom to care for the Earth. We need only learn to listen—to the stories carried by the soil, to the shelter offered by a tree, and to the poetry whispered through its leaves.

We simply need to remember.