Question

When and Why did the Chipko movement take place?

Answer 1

The Chipko movement or Chipko Andolanwas a forest conservation movement where people clung onto trees to prevent them from being cut. Chipko-type movements date back to 1730 AD when in Khejarli village of Rajasthan, 363 Bishnois sacrificed their lives to save khejri trees. In modern India, it began in 1973 in Uttarakhand (then in Uttar Pradesh) and went on to become a rallying point for many future environmental movements all over the world. It created a precedent for starting of nonviolent protest in India,[1] and its success meant that the world immediately took notice of this non-violent movement, which was to inspire in time many such eco-groups by helping to slow down the rapid deforestation, expose vested interests, increase ecological awareness, and demonstrate the viability of people power. Above all, it stirred up the existing civil society in India, which began to address the issues of tribal and marginalized people.The chipko aandolan is a movement that practised methods of Satyagraha where both male and female activists from Uttarakhand played vital roles, including Gaura Devi, Suraksha Devi,Sudesha Devi, Bachni Devi and Chandi Prasad Bhatt.

Today, beyond the eco-socialism hue, it is being seen increasingly as an ecofeminismmovement. Although many of its leaders were men, women were not only its backbone, but also its mainstay, because they were the ones most affected by the rampant deforestation,[2]which led to a lack of firewood and fodder as well as water for drinking and irrigation. Over the years they also became primary stakeholders in a majority of the afforestation work that happened under the Chipko movement.[3][4][5] In 1987, the Chipko movement was awarded the Right Livelihood Award.[6]

Answer 2

The first Chipko movement took place on April 1973 in the village of Mandal in the upper Alakananda valley.