Google honours 45th Chipko Movement anniversary with a doodle
Today’s ‘Google Doodle’ marks the 45th anniversary of the forest conservation initiative called the Chipko Movement.
Who doesn’t know about the famous tree-hugging movement? Chipko movement found momentum in 1970s and derived its name from the way people embraced trees symbolising protection of forest from being cut.
The word ‘Chipko’ is Hindi for ‘to stick to’ and the way people expressed solidarity with the movement was by surrounding trees and linking their hands together around it, to physically prevent them from being chopped down.
The original Chipko Movement dates back to the 18th century. A large group of people from the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan resisted felling of trees by hugging them.
In modern India, Chipko-Movement started in April 1973 in Uttar Pradesh’s Mandal village in the upper Alakananda valley. Soon it spread to other Himalayan districts of the state. The Chipko-Movement was triggered by a government decision to allot forest land to a sports goods company. Angered by the move, villagers formed circles around the trees to prevent them from being cut. The Chipko-Movement, leaded by local women, was spearheaded by Chand Chandi Prasad Bhatt and his NGO Dasholi Gram Swara Sangh.
Inspired by the success in Uttar Pradesh, the Chipko-Movement spread to other parts of the country. Some of the key figures that were part of the Chipko Movement were Dhoom Singh Negi, Bachni Devi, Gaura Devi and Sudesha Devi.
Gandhian activist Sunderlal Bahuguna gave a direction to the movement and his appeal to Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, resulted in the ban of cutting trees.
