By : Satyaki Paul
On May 21, 2021 world renowned environmentalist Sundarlal Bahuguna (1927-2021) passed away due to COVID related complications. He was a staunch Gandhian by principle, and spent his life persuading and educating the villagers to protest against the destruction of the forests and Himalayan mountains for developing Anthropocentric projects.
In the 1970s, the Chipko Movement received a shot in the arm under the leadership of Sundarlal Bahuguna.The name of the movement “chipko” comes from the word “embrace”, as the villagers embraced the trees and encircled them to prevent being cut from commercial logging in those regions of the then Uttar Pradesh.
The Chipko movement was a non-violent agitation on Gandhian principles which was aimed at protection and conservation of trees, however, it is best evoked for the collective mobilization of women for the cause of preserving forests, which also brought about a change in attitude vis-à-vis their own status/role in the society.
The social rebellion against the felling of trees and sustaining the ecological balance originated in Chamoli district in 1973.And, in no time it disseminatedinto other states ofNorth India. It was his endeavor that saw the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi banning the commercial cutting of tress for 15 years in Uttarakhand.
Shri SundarlalBahuguna was best remembered for initiation of slogan: “Ecology is the permanent Economy”.
In 1992, he clean-shaved his head and went on a fast to protest at the Tehri dam, Uttarakhand. This movement later came to be known as anti-Tehri Dam Movement, and he was among those who lost their ancestral homes due to its construction. He undertook a 45-day fast which was later broken under the intervention of the then PM PV Narsimha Rao. In 2001, he again ventured out to Rajghat, New Delhi to undertake a 74-days fast. But all of these were in vain as he was not able to stop the Tehri Dam construction in Uttarakhand.
Thus, it can be concluded that his life had inspired many scholars, activists, and poets. His activisms will further inspire future generations of individuals who will never shy away from raising voices against government in case of injustice towards marginalized societies. In similar veins, of the Chipko movement the Appiko movement was initiated by Poet Ghanshyam Sailani to save and conserve the forests in Uttar Kanada district of Karnataka. The author works as a Ph.D. Research Scholar at the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, and the co-author of the book Anthropology For All (2021).