Sunder Lal Bahuguna, The Dawn Of Chipko Movement In India

Our environment consists of five elements of Inspired by Gandhiji, he walked through Himalayan forests & hills for about five thousand Kms on foot and observed the damage caused by the mega developmental project to the fragile eco-system of mighty Himalaya, about which the great Sanskrit poet Kalidas said that there is a king of mountains called Himalaya in the North, with a divine soul, standing in between eastern & western seas as a measuring rod of earth: Astyuttarasyam Dishi Devatatma Himalayo Naam Nagadhirajah, Poorvaparow Toyanidhivagahya Sthitah Pruthivya Iva Manadandah. There was a movement called Chipko, started In Uttarakhand in the early 70s to save trees. The people spontaneously hugged the trees so that the forest contractors would not cut them. Chipko means to hug. Bahuguna’s contribution to Chipko Movement was his slogan: Ecology is a permanent economy.

Sunder Lal inspired Pandurang Hegde, an environmental activist from Karnataka, to start an Appiko (Kannada for Chipko) movement to protest against cutting of trees, monoculture & deforestation in the Western Ghats. This resulted in a ban on cutting green trees in 1981. Bahuguna also worked for the improvement of the hill people, especially working women. His wife Vimla Bahuguna was a constant companion of Sunder Lal in all his activities. Bahuguna passed away on 21 May, 2021 at the age of 94. A telling tribute was paid to him in the form of a cartoon by popular Amul founded by Dr Varghese Kurien, Father of White Revolution.

Awards & Prizes Bestowed On Sunderlal Bahuguna Are As Follows:
1. Jamnalal Bajaj Award for social work,1986
2. Right Livelihood Prize (Alternative Nobel Prize),1987
3. Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences by I I T, Roorkee,1989
4. Padma Vibhushan for Environmental Work, 2009.

Books Written By Bahuguna:
1. India’ s Environmental Myth & Reality with Dr Vandana Shiva & Medha Patkar
2. Environmental Crisis & Humans at Risk: Priorities for Action with Rajiv K
3. Bhu Prayog me Buniyadi Parivartan ki Or
4. Dharti ki Pukar 

George Alfred James has written about Bahuguna’s contribution to ecological work in his Book called: Ecology is a Permanent economy- the Activism & Environmentalism of Sunderlal Bahuguna, published by State University of New York in 2013. Sunderlal’s story and his work have been covered by many big publishers. He remains to be an inspiration for many. Bahuguna is no more, but he lives in the form of the Chipko Movement.

Sources: IUCN Red List and World Wildlife Fund provide authoritative data for this article.

For more information, see Studio City Coyote Rescue: Life-Saving Mission for Injured Female Wildlife in Los Angeles Studio City Coyote Rescue: Life-Saving Mission for Injured F.

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