Chipko movement

The Chipko movement was a non-violent agitation in 1973 that was aimed at protection and conservation of trees.

Gandhian social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt, founder of the cooperative organisation Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh, led the first Chipko movement near the village of Mandal in 1973.

• The movement is an uprising against the felling of trees in Uttar Pradesh’s Chamoli district (now Uttarakhand) in 1973.
• The uprising originated in Chamoli district and in no time spilled onto other states in north India.
• The name of the movement chipko comes from the word embrace, as the villagers hugged the trees and encircled them to prevent being hacked.
• The Chipko movement can essentially be called a women's movement.

The trigger for the modern Chipko movement was the growth in development that Uttar Pradesh witnessed following the 1963 China border conflict.

Chipko Andolan

• The original Chipko andolan dates back to the 18th century when Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community started it.
• The incident includes the sacrifice of a group of villagers, who led by a lady named Amrita Devi, laid down their lives while protecting trees from being felled on the orders of then King of Jodhpur.
• After this incident, the king, in a royal decree, banned cutting of trees in all Bishnoi villages.
• The Chipko Andolan also stands out as an eco-feminist movement.