The global warming environmental movement is now happening all over the world. However, its journey began long ago. A very important part of this journey is the Chipko movement. The non-violent movement that took place in the 80's to protect trees and forests is known as the Chipko movement. The movement took place in Uttarakhand, India.

It is always seen in movies that the heroine is actually hugging the hero to save him. Many of the features of this movement seem to be that the villagers of the Indian state of Uttarakhand protested by embracing the trees to stop the cutting of trees.

The word 'chipko' in Hindi means 'hug' or 'stick'. And because this movement was formed by embracing the tree, it is called 'Chipko movement'. This movement started 46 years ago today in 1973 in Uttarakhand of independent India. The then bureaucrats set out to cut down 100 trees to set up the factory. And two young men from the village - Sundarlal Bahuguna and Chandi Prasad Bhatt - stood in the way of this activity. They opposed it by embracing the tree. Their only goal; Protecting the environment by stopping deforestation.

Background

The foundation of this movement was laid more than two centuries ago. Then in 1830. The then king of Mewar planned to build a palace in the remote village of Khezarili in Rajasthan. The king's name is Abhay Singh. The tree cutting program started under the leadership of the king. And Amrita Devi, a mother of three, stood up against it. At that time the people of Vishnoi community of the village also joined him. Their only objective is to save the date palm trees in the village. And that is why the first protest of this movement started by sticking itself to the tree. And so they had to give their lives at the hands of the king's soldiers while holding the tree.

After the end of the Sino-Indian war in 1963, the movement resumed in Uttarakhand, India. Then the northern region, especially the rural areas, got a lot of development. Roads built especially for war were attracting a lot of attention from foreign companies. The agencies wanted to seize the forest resources of the region. With the permission of the government, deforestation started. But the indigenous people of the region were not allowed to enjoy even 10 percent of the forest resources for their livelihood. Due to such deforestation for commercial reasons, agricultural yields were declining, soil erosion, natural disasters like floods came down on the entire region. The result was an ultimate threat to the villagers.

Subsequent history

The movement first started in Chameli district of Uttarakhand and later spread rapidly to other parts of India. Gandhian social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt formed a small co-operative society called Dasholi Gramya Swarajya Sangha (DGSM) for the local villagers in 1984. In 1973, this movement took a strong form from Uttar Pradesh. Protests erupted when 2,000 trees were cut down by the government in 1984, and Sundarlal called on women, men and students to go to many villages to stand up against it. Between 1982-89, more than 150 villages were involved in the Chipko movement. There are 12 big and small protests in Uttarakhand. In 1960, Sundarlal Bahuguna and several other leaders opposed the construction of the dam on the banks of the Bhagirathi River; Which was later known as the 'Save the Seed Movement'. This movement continues even today.

According to a report on a UN environmental program, Chipko activists were able to protect their forest resources from the bureaucracy and later in 1973 inspired the Epico movement (a similar environmental movement) in the state of Karnataka. One of the main features of the Chipko movement is the massive participation of women villagers. As women are involved in agriculture in the region, they participated directly in the protests. Gowda Devi, Sudesha Devi, Bachchni Devi, Chandi Prasad Bhatta, Dhoom Singh Neji, Shamser Singh, Govinda Singh Rawat and others were associated with this movement.

Leaders of the movement

The first person to hold this movement was Amrita Devi. In Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Gowda Devi, an indigenous woman from the region, protested with her companions after the government ordered the sawmill owners to cut down trees. Everyone, men and women, joined the movement.

Leaders of the movement

The first person to hold this movement was Amrita Devi. In Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Gowda Devi, an indigenous woman from the region, protested with her companions after the government ordered the sawmill owners to cut down trees. Everyone, men and women, joined the movement.

Sundarlal Bahuguna is one of the top leaders of the movement. He was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence and satyagraha. In 1981-83, he traveled about 5,000 kilometers to cover the Chipko movement. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2009. Despite receiving India's highest civilian honor, Sundarlal politely declined. He argued that he would not be able to accept the award unless environmental awareness was growing among everyone in India. He and his wife took the first step together and went door-to-door to spread the message of the movement across the country.

Results

When news of the northern protests reached the capital, the then state chief minister Hembati Nandan formed a multi-party committee, which ultimately ruled in favor of the villagers. After Indira Gandhi came to power, she actually banned the cutting of trees in the Himalayan region for 15 years. The ban was later imposed in the Himalayan states, Karnataka, Rajasthan and the Western Ghats. Over the next five years, the movement for green spread to various districts of Uttar Pradesh and within a decade across the Himalayas.

The contribution of women

A patriarchal society like India; Where all other work outside the home is done mainly by men, the movement makes an unimaginable contribution through the participation of women. The Chipko movement has proved once again that women are not inferior in any way and they can do all the work if needed. The movement was first started by a woman; Amrita is holding Devi's hand. Not only that, later on these women formed cooperative organizations to protect their local forests. Besides, they also started tree planting program.

All environmentalists will remember those who shed blood by sticking themselves to trees to save the green. This self-sacrifice will give courage and motivation to the future agitators. This Chipko movement is an important step in environmental development in the Indian region and around the world, which will be a stepping stone for future movements.

References:

1. http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/contemporary-04.html
2.  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chipko-movement

Featured Image: Ebong Alap