STICKING TO A CAUSE

Chipko Movement, 1973

The 1980s saw the debate on environment move from just deforestation to the larger
issues of depletion of natural resources
In the wake of reckless deforestation, a uniue movement has bubbled,!observed
India Today in "arch 198#$ The 1980s saw the debate on environment move from just
deforestation to the larger issues of depletion of natural resources$
%hipko movement in the &arhwal 'imala(as, shoved aside urban armchair naturalists$
)ed b( %handni *rasad +hatt and ,underlal +ahuguna, it was a people-s revolt against
mindless deforestation$
.nd the( did it simpl($ +( hugging trees when the woodmen came to a/e them,!said
India Today in 0anuar( 1990$
2. SOUND O NATU!E
The Si"ent #$""e% &'o(e)t, 197*
The ,ilent 1alle( h(droelectric project was to dam the
2unthipu3ha 4iver
It was a battlefield of personal agendas, between the then prime
minister "orarji 5esai, the 2erala government and the
environmentalists$
The ,ilent 1alle( h(droelectric project was to dam the 2unthipu3ha 4iver, submerging
the entire biosphere reserve and destro(ing its four6million6(ear6old rainforests$
In 1980, the "$&$2$ "enon %ommittee set up to review the project, came out with a
recommendation to scrap it$
7ith 80 per cent of its so6called surplus power being supplied to other parts and man(
villages of 2erala waiting to be electrified, this grassroots movement became the bedrock
of Indian environmental activism 9India Today, .ugust #00:;$
3. !ESCUE MISSION
+,n-"e .$)h$o An/o"$n, 19*01
"ost states e/ist in the bliss of ignorance,! observed India Today in "arch 198#$ It was
this observation that led to the birth of the 0ungle +achao .ndolan, that began in +ihar
and later spread to states like 0harkhand and <rissa$The tribals of ,inghbhum district of
+ihar bubbled up a protest when the government decided to replace the natural sal forests
with highl(6priced teak, a move that was termed a greed game, political populism!$
2. !EA&ING A C3ANGE
N$v/$n%$ Movement, 19*2
7hether it-s about empowering women or anti6globalisation
campaigns,environmental activist 1andana ,hiva has alwa(s had an upper hand in
her fights against the authorities$ 'er ecofeministmovement reinstated a farming
s(stem centred on engaging women,changing the current s(stem$,he founded =avdan(a
in 198#, an organisation promoting biodiversit( conservation and organic farming$The
organisation has not onl( helped create markets for farmers, but also promoted ualit(
food for consumers, connecting the seed to the cooked food$
4. DIE!ENT !OUTE
Deve"opment A"te'n$tive1, 19*3
)abelled The &reen 5oer 9India Today, 5ecember #00#;, .shok 2hosla empowered
people b( creating jobs$ Through 5evelopment .lternatives, an =&< that he found in
198:, he began work towards financial, social and environmental sustainabilit( at the
grassroot level$ <ver the (ears, his 1> environmentall(6sound and commerciall(6viable
technologies have generated more than three lakh jobs across India$
5. 3IG3 TIDE
N$'m$/$ .$)h$o An/o"$n, 19*4
"edha *atkar
=armada +achao .ndolan announced the arrival of the India &reens, protesting against
destructive development$
<ne of the largest and most successful environmental campaigns, =armada +achao
.ndolan began with a wide developmental agenda, uestioning the ver( rationale of large
dam projects in India! 9India Today, 5ecember #00?;$
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