Chipko Movement: Know About Amrita Devi, The First Activist & Sunderlal Bahuguna,The Modern Day Chipko Andolan Architect
Sunderlal Bahuguna, a renowned Garhwali environmentalist is the man behind the modern movement.
Chipko Movement or the Chipko Andolan dates back to 1730 AD, when 363 people sacrificed their lives to save the green trees from being chopped by the Maharaja of Jodhpur at a place known as Khejarli in Marwar, Rajasthan. Amrita Devi sacrificed her life along with her three daughters, Asu, Ratni and Bhagu to save the Khejri trees, which is considered sacred by the Bishnoi community.
The modern Chipko Movement was started in 1973 in Uttar Pradesh, in an effort to preserve trees and forests from being mercilessly destroyed by forest contractors. Sunderlal Bahuguna, a renowned Garhwali environmentalist is the man behind the movement. The idea of the Chipko Movement was seeded by his wife and was put into action by Bahuguna himself. Since Bahuguna was a follower of Gandhi’s principles, he used Satyagraha tactics to reach his goals
His non-violent approach, involved asking villages and volunteers to to cling to the trees and save them for the axes. On the 45th Anniversary of the Chipko Movement, here are 5 things which you would like to know about the man Sunderlal Bahuguna, who was born on January 9, 1927.
1. Bahuguna coined the Chipko slogan, “Ecology is permanent economy”. He helped the Movement to gain prominence, through the 5,000-kilometer trans-Himalaya march undertaken from 1981 to 1983, travelling from village to village, gathering support for the movement.
2. Bahuguna along with some of the noted activists of Chipko Andolan, Dhoom Singh Negi, Bachni Devi, Chandi Prasad Bhatt adopted the Gandhian path of non-violence to save the nature and succeeded in getting a 15-year ban on chopping of green tees in the Himalayan forests by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1980.
3. In 1986, he got the Jamnalal Bajaj Award and in the following year, Bahuguna received the Right Livelihood Award. He was awarded with the prestigious Padma Vibhusan in 2009. Bahuguna had refused to accept the Nobel Peace Prize and Padma Shri Award.
4. Bahuguna married his wife Vimla on one condition. He demanded that they would live in a rural setting and start an ashram there. They would also dedicate their lives, serving the village community.
5. He was against the construction of Tehri Dam along the Bhagirathi river and the adverse ecological effects it would cause. He went on several hunger strikes against the construction of the dam including a month-and-a-half fast during the tenure of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.
Google Doodle today honoured the Chipko Movement and remembered the contributions of several fighters who helped to shape the landmark movement in the history of India.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2018 10:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).