CHIPKO LEGEND GAURA DEVI BEING REMEMBERED TODAY ON ITS 45TH ANNIVERSARY

Today is the 45th anniversary of Chipko movement and is celebrated primarily by the environmentalists and those seriously concerned about the degrading environment of the Himalayas and the country. This was the first ever eco feminist movement against the rampant felling of trees in Garhwal Himalayas and in India. In the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand this historic day holds tremendous relevance as the chief founder of this movement called Chipko Andolan a committed woman activist Gaura Devi alongwith her fellow women activists started this movement today in 1973 by embracing the trees thus discouraging the then prevalent contractors and forest mafia from incessant cutting of trees in the jungles of Garhwal, Uttarakhand.

There slogan was first axe us then the fully grown gre trees. Chipko movement thereafter gained global significance and sent acrose the country and the world a positive message against widescale deforestation. The movement was inspired and backed by eminent environmentalists and recipient of several national and international coveted awards and recognitions viz Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sunder Lal Bahuguna. Chipko leader Gaura Devi was a great woman of commitment, dedication and devotion who protected the forests from axing of trees in the Garhwal Himalayas alongwith her several women colleagues about 40 years ago from now.

The movement gained such a widespread momentum and impacted the government that in 1980 the then prime minister of India issued directives to ban felling and cutting of trees in the Uttarakhand Himalayas for 15 long years followed by credible forest act. The movement later on spread in other parts of the country like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, entire Vindhyachal, West Bengal and around the globe. Gaura Devi was, though after a long spell but felicitated with prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Award for environment protection by the Government of India including international honours.

Today if there is awareness around the country and the globe against felling of trees and subsequent protection and preservation of forests and environment its only because of this great legend Gaura Devi and her handful of co women activists. My salutes to this great woman achiever on CHIPKO DAY with the appeal to one and all to safeguard the forests and trees of the entire Himalayan belt and the country which are our actual lungs and oxygen givers.

According to the veteran social reformer and activist Ramesh Pahari the Chipko movement was primarily the result and outcome against the incessant felling of trees and for the protection of the rights of the local villagers to safeguard their forests. It was in the year 1973, 24th April that under the president ship of social activist Alam Singh Bisht, a huge meeting was organised for the first time in Gopeshwar in which Gaura Devi and her co women activists were also present.

The reason for convening this largely attended meeting was to unitedly and forcefully oppose the Simon Company’s contractors and workers who were sanctioned the government contract to cut large number of trees. As a sequel to this, another meeting was organised at Fata Rampur under the leadership of Kedar Singh Rawat and there came into existence the great Chipko movement.

The leader of this movement was Gaura Devi. She belonged to Rayinee village and the Simon Company was accorded the contract to axe about 2400 full grown trees situated in and around hervillage’s periphery. All the contractors of the forest department and their workers were fully armed and ready for the mission tree felling but Gaura Devi and her 27 highly dedicated co women activists hugged trees and bravely fought the contractors, finally making them run away.

They hugged the trees and asked the workers to first axe them before finally axing the trees. They hugged the tree trunks for hours together thus discouraging the contractors finally. The women risked their lives but would not allow the single tree to be cut inviting a wave of anger amongst the local populace against the forest contractors who had finally no option but to run away never to return back.

A committe was thereafter formed by the government under the chairmanship of Dr. Virendra Kumar which officially recommended stop to the tree felling exercise, permanentally. The movement thereafter gained national and international attention and media hype.
SUNIL NEGI