Rooted in Wisdom: How Peepal Baba inspires purposeful leadership

All that springs from the soil circles back to it. The journey is temporary; the responsibility is permanent. Before ambition, there was belonging. Every civilisation, every institution, every enterprise has risen from the same source: the earth that holds us, feeds us, and outlives us. In our race toward progress, we often forget this simple truth that nothing we build exists outside the ecosystems that sustain it. Because the future will be moulded not just by speed, but by the wisdom to understand that every return starts at the root.

In a refreshing departure from the sterile, soundproofed environments of modern media, the HumanScope Podcast recently took its cameras into the wild. Hosted by People Matters CEO Pushkar Bidwai, the episode featured a profound conversation with Peepal Baba, the visionary behind the Give Me Trees Trust, an organisation that has become a global leader in community-based afforestation. His organisation has created seven lakh acres of forest in this country

The seed of a movement

The germination of Peepal Baba’s life work was not found in a textbook but in the backyard of his childhood. Raised largely by his grandmother while his father served in the army, he credits her "green thumb" for his foundational education.

"She used to make manure from the kitchen waste, do kitchen gardening, plant fruit orchards in our backyard... I got my first lessons in soil chemistry from her," he recalled.

Moving through army cantonments in Chandigarh, Dehradun, and Pune, he was surrounded by greenery. A pivotal influence was his teacher, Mrs Williams at Spicer School, who taught geography and anthropology through stories of tribes and environments rather than textbooks. It was she who created a small eco-club called "Give Me Trees," a name that would eventually define his life’s mission.

From passion to global scale

What started as a childhood joy of planting trees at age 11 evolved into one of the top ten community-based afforestation programs in the world. For decades, Peepal Baba worked without formal structures, driven purely by the "happy song" of planting.

“There were no plans,” he said plainly. “I loved plants. I loved working in the soil. It was my happy song.”

The transition to a structured organisation happened in 2010-2011, following a conversation with actor John Abraham, who urged him to get organised. "He said, " Look, you need to have a bank account. You need to have an NGO or a trust... " You need to get a bit more organised," Peepal Baba noted.

In October 2011, Give Me Trees Trust was registered. Later, the HCL Foundation helped professionalise their operations, teaching the "wild people" of the forest about PPTs, Excel sheets, and compliance. Today, the organisation boasts 378 employees, 4 lakh volunteers, and a footprint in 226 districts.

The "Junglee" philosophy and the cosmic algorithm

Peepal Baba’s approach to work is deeply spiritual. He speaks of a "cosmic algorithm" that values honesty and integrity over clever coding. When hiring young graduates, he gives his HR team 100 days to "convert" them into what he calls "Junglee".

"Junglee means falling in love with nature, falling in love with the forest... and understanding how important this work is. It is not about the money that hits your bank on the first of the month," he explained.

He believes that modern workers, particularly Gen Z, are searching for this "soul" in their careers. To him, nature is the ultimate teacher of management, offering lessons in diversity, acceptance, and relationship building.

Money, he said, comes from anywhere. Meaning does not.

Nature is the human "charging station"

A significant portion of the dialogue focused on the mental health crisis in the modern workforce. Pushkar highlighted the rise of depression and burnout in a "rat race" culture. Peepal Baba responded by pointing to our evolutionary DNA.

"We were born in the jungles... DNA is from there. Now, whether you sit in front of a computer or in a big car, the calling of your soul comes from that soil. Earth calls you," he said.

He compared the human spirit to a mobile phone that needs constant recharging. In his view, the modern world provides the means of use but lacks the power source.

"This soil charges you, these plants charge you... These are your charging stations. If you don’t charge there, you will definitely discharge," he said.

The corporate mandate: "Apna Swargh Khud Banao"

As the duo walked through the Ber (Indian Jujube) trails of the forest, Peepal Baba issued a direct challenge to corporate leaders. He argued that sustainability should not be a theoretical exercise led by people with PhDs from Yale or Oxford who haven't set foot on the ground. Instead, boards should include conservationists with "mud on their boots." Peepal Baba challenged the traditional concept of the office as four walls in a concrete jungle. He pointed to global models like Singapore, which was designed not as a city with gardens, but as a "garden with a city inside it".

His most actionable advice was a plea for companies to invest in "human real estate." "Aur main har corporate ko kehata hu apna swargh khud banao" (And I tell every corporate: make your own heaven). He urged businesses to secure 10 to 100 acres of land to create nature reserves for their employees.

"Make a space where your employees can go and rest, have picnics... celebrate New Year's, Diwali, or Holi in the lap of nature," he said. "Your employees will be very, very happy... the greens will do a lot of work for you." He views this not as an expense, but as a "real estate investment" in the mental health and productivity of the workforce.

Lessons from the forest

Ultimately, the dialogue between Pushkar and Peepal Baba serves as a vital reminder that our greatest innovations remain hollow if they are disconnected from the soil. Peepal Baba reminds us that while money can be found anywhere, meaning must be grown. By investing in nature reserves rather than just office infrastructure, leaders can solve the modern epidemic of burnout at its evolutionary roots. If work continues to shape how we live, then where and how we work matters deeply.

As Peepal Baba’s 47-year journey illustrates, the most successful management is found under the forest canopy rather than inside a concrete office. To thrive in the modern age, we must acknowledge that all that springs from the soil eventually circles back to it, and our well-being is inseparable from the health of the earth that sustains us.

Watch the full interview here.