The Chipko movement

Introduction

In the 1970s, an organized resistance to the destruction of forests

spread throughout India and came to be known as the Chipko
movement. The name of the movement comes from the word
'embrace', as the villagers hugged the trees, and prevented the
contractors' from felling them.

Not many people know that over the last few centuries many
communities in India have helped save nature. One such is the
Bishnoi community of Rajasthan. The original Chipko movement
was started around 260 years back in the early part of the
18th century in Rajasthan by this community. A large group of them
from 84 villages led by a lady called Amrita Devi laid down their
lives in an effort to protect the trees from being felled on the orders
of the Maharaja (King) of Jodhpur. After this incident,
the maharaja gave a strong royal decree preventing the cutting of
trees in all Bishnoi villages.
In the 20th century, it began in the hills where the forests are the
main source of livelihood, since agricultural activities cannot be
carried out easily. The Chipko movement of 1973 was one of the
most famous among these. The first Chipko action took place
spontaneously in April 1973 in the village of Mandal in the upper
Alakananda valley and over the next five years spread to many
districts of the Himalayas in Uttar Pradesh. It was sparked off by
the government's decision to allot a plot of forest area in the

Alaknanda valley to a sports goods company. This angered the

villagers because their similar demand to use wood for making
agricultural tools had been earlier denied. With encouragement
from a local NGO (non-governmental organization), DGSS (Dasoli
Gram Swarajya Sangh), the women of the area, under the
leadership of an activist, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, went into the forest
and formed a circle around the trees preventing the men from
cutting them down.

Some other persons have also been involved in this movement and
have given it proper direction. Mr Sunderlal Bahuguna, a Gandhian
activist and philosopher, whose appeal to Mrs Indira Gandhi, the
then Prime Minister of India, resulted in the green-felling ban. Mr
Bahuguna coined the Chipko slogan: 'ecology is permanent
economy'. Mr Chandi Prasad Bhatt, is another leader of the Chipko
movement.

Opinion
-Chipko Movement

Chipko movement is an inspiring and a very successful movement.

Environmental movements like Chipko have become historical
landmarks because the ecological insights and political and moral
strengths of women have fueled them.
It was a resurgence of woman power and ecological concern in the
Garhwal Himalayas interwoven in a mosaic of various factors. The
issue was of planting trees and planting ecologically appropriate
trees. Women were protesting against replacement of mixed forests
by the commercially valuable pine, which was a major reason for
increasing economical instability of the Himalayan region and the
growing economic deprivation of Garhwali women.
Life-sustaining forestry was to give way to life-destroying practices.
The Chipko movement showed that devolution of environmental
rights and obligations is the more important aspect of
environmental management.

The movement, which began with saving the forest from commercial
exploitation, became a symbol of the fight against social injustice,
improper developmental planning, and faulty environmental
policies. Rural hill folk who had been mere spectators of
government policies became a force to reckon with. They could
question the developmental planning if it was inappropriate to the
environmental condition of the terrain. In every village, youth and
women are organized and these organizations shape the destiny of
their villages. There are innumerable village level women
organizations called Mahila Mangal Dals (Organizations for
Women's Development).
The collective force of the hill women is an outcome of the Chipko
movement that has allowed and encouraged them to realize their
hidden strength and immense potential. Because the majority of the
men are away in the cities to support the family back in the hills, the
major responsibility for running the village lies with the women.
Since they suffered the genocide of the forest in the past, they
realized the significance of the Chipko movement.
After 30 years of hard work, the results are evident for all to see. In
economic terms, fodder and fuel yields increased, saving time for
other work. High milk yield cows can be raised, supplying nutrition
and earning cash. The camps also helped in promoting participation
in other development issues such as school, roads, and basic health.
Today, participants in the eco-development camps initiate similar
program in their own distant villages.

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