Chamoli(Uttarakhand): The 49th anniversary was celebrated with great pomp on the Chipko movement in Dharti Raini village of Joshimath block of Uttarakhand. The women of the village presented cultural programs as the 48th anniversary of the Chipko movement was not celebrated last year due to the natural calamity that occurred on February 7, 2021.
Due to the natural disaster the place where the statue of Gaura Devi was removed as it was badly damaged in the disaster. On Saturday once again the idol of Gaura Devi has been re-instated in Raini village. On the 49th Chipko movement, 6 friends of Gaura Devi were also honored. These are the same 6 friends who, along with Gaura Devi, protected their forest by tree-hugging in the Chipko movement. During this, Gaura Devi's friends had also tried to save their forest through a song that her friends remember even today.
The anniversary celebration of the Chipko Andolan was organized by the Niti Mana Vikas Samiti by following the rules of Covid-19. Villagers enthusiastically participated in this program. During this, people working in the field of the environment were also honored. Along with this, the people of the village also took a pledge to keep the environment alive.
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History of Chipko Movement: Under the leadership of Gaura Devi of the village, all the women of the village had done the work of saving the trees by hugging trees to protect the environment, and the whole world recognises by the name of Chipko Andolan. This movement started from the small Raini village of Chamoli district of the then Uttar Pradesh on March 26, 1973.
In the year 1972, the process of cutting trees from forests had started in the hill districts of the state. To stop the illegal cutting of trees, the villagers under the leadership of Gaura Devi intensified the movement. Without caring about the guns pointing at them, she surrounded the trees and kept on hugging the trees all night. The next day this news spread like fire and people in the surrounding villages started to do the same to save the trees.
After four days of confrontation, the tree-cutters had to step back. The Villagers protested against tree cutting and women, children and men participated in this movement opposing the illegal cutting of trees. Due to Gaura Devi's initiative, strength and courage the Chipko movement got a place on the world stage. Many people including famous environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, Govind Singh Rawat, Chandiprasad Bhatt were also involved in this movement.
The impact of this movement became an agenda of the environment in the politics of the Center at that time and had reached the government. In view of the movement, the Central Government enacted the Forest Conservation Act. The main objective of this act was to protect the forest and make the environment alive. Due to the Chipko movement, in the year 1980, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made a bill.
Under which a 15-year ban was imposed on the cutting of forests in all the Himalayan regions of the country. Due to this movement, women were able to get a different identity. Women and men did not even care for their lives to save the trees. The 49th anniversary of the Chipko movement celebration took place for the villagers to remember her contribution to saving the environment.
