The Chipko movement was a forest conservation movement started in the 1970s in India to protect trees from being cut down. Local village women would literally hug trees to prevent loggers from felling them. The movement was non-violent and sparked by the need to preserve forests for livelihoods and maintain ecological balance. Key leaders included Chandi Prasad Bhatt and village women who led protests by embracing trees. Through non-violent civil disobedience, the movement successfully slowed deforestation and raised environmental awareness in India.

2. Introduction
>it is primarily a forest conservation movement.
>it created a precedent for non-violent protest started in india.
>it inspire many eco-groups by helping slow down rapid
deforestation.
>it stirred up the civil socity in india to adress the issue of tribal
people.
>it is seen as a ecofaminism movement.
in 1987 it was awarded as the "Right livelihood award"

3. CHIPKO MOVEMENT IN INDIA
>it was started in 1970 aimed to protect trees.
>it was started in the northern himalayan segment
I.e uttarakhand.
>the word "chipko" refers "to stick" or "to hug".
>the name came from a word meaning "embrace"

4. Continued..
>this movement was started in response to the needs of the people of uttrakhand.
>most of the leaders of the movement were village women & men.
>the main objective of this movement was to ensure an ecological balance.

5. HISTORY OF CHIPKU MOVEMENT
*Chipko movement was a daring act of non violence.
*It was carried out all over India in order to save the trees of the forest from being cut down.
THE FIRST CHIPKO MOVEMENT
* It was originated in Rajasthan in 18 century
*Bishnoi community living around the forest protested against the king wishes to cut down
forest trees.
*women & men hugged the trees to prevent the king's men from felling down the trees.
*many people lost their lives during protest.

6. CAUSES OF CHIPKO MOVEMENT
*In uttarakhand during 20th century, large scale deforestation brought a lot of hardships to
common people.
*problems arose due to inefficient polices of the government.
*lack of environmental & ecological awareness in the society.
*people gave up on keeping large livestocks.
*caused malnutrition among people.
*heavy effect on ecological balance of the region.
*poor condition of land.
*scarcity of drinking water.
* government turned deaf ears to the people's conditions.

7. BIRTH OF CHIPKO MOVEMENT
*under the leadership of Chandi Prasad Bhatt people formed Dasholi Gram Swarajya
Sangh(DGSS) a local workshop to build farm tools from forest resources.
*The govt & forest department ignored request of DGSS.
*On 24 April, 1973 about hundred of villagers &DGSS supporters stopped lumber contractors.
*beating drums & shouting slogans.

8. RISE OF CHIPKO MOVEMENT
*On March 26,1974 in the absence of men of Reni village & DGSS workers, lumber Laborers
arrived by truckload to start logging operation.
*Gaura Devi, along with 27 of village women confronted the loggers.
* loggers threatened them.
*women held bravely & hugged the trees.
*next day the movement spread to the neighbouring villages.
eventually only after few hours Stand-off the contractors left.

9. SPREAD OF CHIPKO MOVEMENT
*women were the backbone of the Chipko Movement.
*the movement also caught fire in Bihar, Uttar pradesh, Himachal
pradesh, Rajasthan, karnataka.

10. Aims of chipko movement
>To save the trees in that area because forest is the main source of livelihood in tribal area.
>To maintain the ecological balance of that area.

11. Founder of chipko movement
>Sunder Lal Bahuguna (Environmentalist)
>Enlightened the country and out world about the movement,
its success and environmental impact.
>Padmabhushan winner for his contribution in the movement.

12. Slogans..
Ghanasyam Raturi, the Chipko poet, whose songs echoed the during the movement describing
the method of embracing the trees to save them from felling.
“Embrace the trees and
Save them from being felled;
The wealth of our hills,
Save them from being looted.”

13. Girda (Girish Tewari)
Inspired the movement in Kumaon region with USV.
By beating of hudka (a rhythming instrument) and singing various songs.
“Today Himalaya is calling you,
Wake up my son,
Do not allow my auction,
Protect me from being slaughtered.”

14. Chandi Prasad bhatt
“Our movement goes beyond the erosion of the land, to the erosion of human values. The
center of all this is humankind. If we are not in a good relationship with the environment, the
environment will be destroyed, and we will lose our ground. But if you halt the erosion of
humankind, humankind will halt the erosion of the soil.”

15. “Let them know we will not allow the felling of a single tree. When their men raise their axes, we
will embrace the trees to protect them.”
- Chandi Prasad Bhatt

16. Women’s role in chipko movement
In case of women’s role in the chipko movement, (chipko a
word meaning hugging) is used to describe the movement
because local village women literally “hugged” trees,
interposing their bodies between the trees and the loggers to
prevent their being cut down.

17. WHY DID WOMEN SUPPORT CHIPKO
MOVEMENT?
The message of the chipko workers made a direct appeal to the rural women.
>For rural women, saving the environment was crucial to their economic survival.
>As primary food, fuel and water gatherers, women had strong interest in reversing
deforestation, desertification and water pollution.
>Thus when mahatma Gandhi gave a call to women to come out of their homes to work for the
cause, sheer survival made women to support the movement.

18. Conflict
The collective mobilization of women for the cause of preserving forests has brought about a
situation of conflict regarding their own status in society. Women have demanded to share in
decision making process along with men,hence there has been opposition by men to women’s
involvement in the chipko movement.
AT LAST, women on the one hand kept seeking alterations in their position in society and on the
other, supporting, a social movement that is resisting change.

19. WOMEN LEADERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN
THE CHIPKO MOVEMENT
>Amrita devi
She sacrificed her life along with three daughters in year 1730 to save green trees being felled by
the maharaja of jodhpur.
>Sarala behn
She played a key role in the evolution of chipko movement and influenced a number of gandhian
environmentalists in india.
>Bachni devi
Bachni devi and many more village women were the first to save trees by hugging them.
>Mira behn
She was a british woman who left her home in Britain to live and work with Gandhi.

20. Sparking off the movement
>Chandi Prasad Bhatt
>Sunder Lal Bahuguna
>Sarla Bahen from Lakshmi Ashram
>Women groups
>Uttarakahand Sangharsh Vahini (USV)

21. Tribute to chipko movement..

22. Success of chipko movement
>The movement has spread to many states in the country.
>It stopped felling of trees in the Western Ghats and the Vindhyas.
>Generated pressure for formulation of a natural resource policy.
>Achieved a major victory in 1980 with a 15-year ban on green felling in the Himalayan forests
>More than 1,00,000 trees have been saved from excavation.
>Started protecting forest slopes and Restoring bare ones.

23. >Afterward environmental awareness increased dramatically in India.
>New methods of forest farming have been developed, both to conserve the forests and create
employment.
>By 1981, over a million trees had been planted through their efforts.
>Villagers paid special attention in care of the trees and forest trees are being used judiciously.

24. References
http://www.american.edu/ted/chipko.htm
http://www.markshep.com/nonviolence/GT_Chipko.html
http://bostonglobalaction.net/UK/nandadevi/chipko.html
Photographs
Chandi Prasad Bhatt, 1978.
Photo by Mark Shepard.
Gaura Devi, 1978.
Photo by Anupam Mishra