Mainstream WeeklyOne of the most inspiring efforts that I have covered in my nearly five decades of development journalism is that of the saving of Himalayan forests in Tehri Garhwal district approximately during the period of 1977-80.
I was fresh out of college with unlimited enthusiasm for reporting such initiatives. The most valuable gift I received from this coverage was in the form of friendships with activists as well as villagers which have continued at our family level for decades.
When I first started visiting Tehri Garhwal district, several actions of the Chipko movement in other parts of Uttarakhand (which was then a part of UP state) had already made news, but these had emphasized more the aspects of local forest rights and village-level, small-scale, forest product based units. It was in the nearly a dozen actions to save forests in Tehri Garhwal district that the ecological aspects got most emphasized.
While these efforts ultimately succeeded in saving Himalayan forests over a vast area from commercial exploitation ( however large-scale felling of trees for various development projects continued) , these efforts are also important for contributing to the emergence of several new social movements in this as well as other regions.
The core group of activists here were those inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to follow the path of non-violent struggles, the most senior being Sunderlal Bahuguna and Vimla Bahuguna, very ably supported by highly dedicated activists like Kunwar Prasun, Dhum Singh Negi, Vijay Jardhari and Pratap Shikhar. Several village women like Sudesha Devi, Bachni Devi and Saumpa Devi emerged in important activist roles in the course of these movements and chipko actions with their courage and determination to protect forests even in very adverse conditions (which also involved going to jail). We must also mention the great folk poet and activist Ghanshyam Sailani who was present at several movement sites and above all the great disciple of Mahatma Gandhi Sarla Behan who was like a mentor for leading activists.
These activists had a worldview based on combining ecological and justice concerns. Some of them, particularly Kunwar Prasun, were very firmly committed to rights of oppressed communities like dalits. Chipko activists maintained good relations with forest workers and also took up the cause of their rights and welfare.
While chipko actions in Tehri Garhwal district took place in several places, Henvalghati (valley of Henval river), on Rishikesh