- The Chipko Movement began on 26th March 1974 in the small valley of Alakananda in Uttarakhand and went on to become a rallying point for many future environmental movements all over the world.
- Its success meant that the world immediately took notice of this non-violent movement. The Andolan is credited with the coinage of terms like eco-socialism and ecofeminism.
- It inspired a nationwide movement against deforestation, vested interests, towards the increase of ecological awareness, and the viability of people power.
- The Chipko Andolan is a movement that practised methods of Satyagraha where both male and female activists from Uttarakhand played vital roles, including Gaura Devi, Sudesha Devi, Bachni Devi, and Chandi Prasad Bhatt.
- The flashpoint came on 26th March 1974 when lumbermen were to cut trees in Reni village a local girl, on seeing them, rushed to inform Gaura Devi, the head of the village Mahila Mangal Dal. Gaura Devi led 27 of the village women to the site and confronted the loggers.
- When all talking failed, and the loggers started to shout and abuse the women, threatening them with guns, the women resorted to hugging the trees to stop them from being felled.
- Eventually, only after a four-day stand-off, the contractors left. One of the biggest names associated with the Chipko movement is Sunderlal Bahuguna. His notable contributions to that cause, and environmentalism in general, was his creation of the Chipko’s slogan “Ecology is permanent economy.”
- Sunderlal Bahuguna helped bring the movement to prominence through a 5,000-kilometer trans-Himalaya march undertaken from 1981 to 1983, travelling from village to village, gathering support for the movement. It resulted in the government’s 15-year ban on cutting of green trees in 1980.
- In 1987, the Chipko movement was awarded the Right to Livelihood Award.
