Sundar Lal Bahuguna 9: The rise of Chipko movement in this way

SUNDER LAL BAHUGUNA GANDHI OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Sundar Lal Bahuguna 9: The rise of Chipko movement in this way

March 08, 2020

Ghanshyam Sailani and Chandi Prasad Bhatt

Sundar Lal Bahuguna 9:

The rise of Chipko movement

During his travels, Sundar Lal Bahuguna closely understood the consequences of forest destruction and the benefits of forest protection. He observed that trees have the ability to bind soil and conserve water. For the British (who spread the Pines in the hill) and the forest department it was associated with, the forests were only a source of wood, Lisa and trading.
He believed that the first use of forests should be for the people living nearby so the food, grass, wood and fodder could be easily available to them. He said that the real benefits of forests are soil, air and water. This thinking later led to the slogans of the Chipko movement:

 

“What do the forest bear,

  Soil, water and pure air

  Soil, water and pure air

  Are the basis of life.”

To pay his respects to the villagers who were martyred in Tiladi, Barkot fighting for forest rights on 30 May 1967, he decided to declare 30^th May as forest day. For this, he appealed to everyone to join him besides his Sarvodayi (the title given by Binoba Bhave) colleagues.
In fact, on 30 May 1930, the army of the King (who was in rule during that time) opened fire on the villagers who were meeting on the banks of the Yamuna river in Barkot, in which 17 people were killed. Many people jumped into Yamuna to save their lives and many were swept away. 80 people were put behind bars.
In 1968, Sunder Lal Bahuguna brought out a booklet named Parvatiya vikas aur van neeti (Mountain Development and Forest Policy) to commemorate the day. It said that forest, agriculture, Animal husbandry and cottage industries should provide at least 300 days of employment throughout the year. With the establishment of the Shaheed Smarak (Martyr’s memorial) at Tiladi in 1969, Sundar Lal Bahuguna along with his Sarvodayi colleagues took an oath to protect the forests. Meanwhile, Sundar Lal Bahuguna rushed from Garhwal to Kumaon for the successful liquor ban from 1969 to 1971. After the successful movement of 1971 against liquor when the government imposed a liquor ban in the hills, Bahuguna pioneered in the hills with his quest to protect the forests.

On 11 December 1972, for a radical change in the forest system, the first procession took place in the town of Purola near Barkot. A large number of villagers attended it. The next day a huge procession took place in Uttarkashi. Janakavi(folk singer) Ghanshyam Sailani and Chandi Prasad Bhatt were also involved in this procession led by Sundar Lal Bahuguna. On the morning of 13 December Sundar Lal Bahuguna, Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Ghanshyam Sailani left for Gopeshwar in a rented jeep. The trio stayed in the office of Rudraprayag Khadi Commission at night. Here, Ghanshyam Sailani wrote a poem:

 

“Khada utha  bhay bandhu (it’s time to be awakened my people)

  Ab kattha hola (let’s all unite)

  Sarkari neeti se janglon bachola…(to protect forests from the government’s evil policy)

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..Chipka paedon par ab na katyan dya (hug the tree to protect them from axes)

  Pahadon ki sampatti ab na lutyan dya” (let’s preserve the true wealth of our hills)

 

This song of Ghanshyam Sailani became the awakening song of the Chiko movement. On 15 December 1972, in the huge procession of Gopeshwar, this song of Sailani first became the song of the people and then the Chipko movement. 

 

From the diary of Sundar Lal Bahuguna

Ongoing......