27 village women embraced 2,500 trees in Reni, Uttarakhand, in 1974—using their bodies as barricades and initiating India’s first people’s Green Revolution.
A Revolution in the Forests That Started With Women’s Arms Around Trees
The Himalayan slopes were bleeding green in the early 1970s. Oak, rhododendron, and ash—what had been the blood of village existence—were falling to the axe, legitimized by government deals and motivated by timber dollars. But these trees were more than wood. They were water, fodder, medicine, and memory. As forests receded, women trudged miles for firewood, saw streams evaporate, and observed their soil disappear with every monsoon.
Then there came a season of silent defiance that rocked the country. In a small village of Reni, 27 women embraced 2,500 trees and held on. They didn’t scream. They hugged. And in that hug, India’s first people-driven Green Revolution came into being—not in wheat fields, but in woods of defiance.
From Bishnoi Martyrs to Himalayan Mothers: India’s Legacy of Tree Protection
Its origin was rooted in India’s conservation culture Amrita Devi and 363 Bishnois had lost their lives at Khejarli, Rajasthan, in 1730 to protect khejri trees from being cut down to build the king’s palace. Her verse of verse—”A chopped head is cheaper than a chopped tree”—was retold as a legend.
Colonial forestry policies subsequently alienated villagers and turned forests into timber and revenue sources. Even in post-independence times, the state favored industry over rural interests. By the 1970s, resentment had escalated to a point of preparedness for resistance.
Reni, 1974: The Day Gaura Devi and 27 Women Changed History Forever
The initial spark was in Mandal village, 1973, when villagers headed by Chandi Prasad Bhatt put an end to the felling of ash trees. But the real turning point was in March 1974 at Reni village.
One logging firm had been authorized to cut 2,500 trees. The village men had been tempted away. But Gaura Devi, a 50-year-old widow and the President of the Mahila Mangal Dal, rallied 27 women, among them Bachni Devi, Sudesha Devi, Lata Devi, Chandi Devi, and Phooldei Devi.
They went barefoot into the woods, encircled the trees with their bodies, and said to the loggers: “The woods are our mother’s dwelling place. You will kill us before you cut them.” Faced with this courage, the contractors retreated. On this day, Reni was made immortal in India’s environmental history.
When Chipko Spread Like Wildfire Across the Himalayas
Reni’s courage inspired further protests:
- 1977 (Advani, Tehri Garhwal): Women stopped the felling of 12,000 trees.
- 1978 (Henwal Valley): 30 villages came together under the leadership of individuals such as Chandi Devi and Phooldei Devi to oppose logging.
- Late 1970s – Early 1980s: Chipko was expanded to Uttarkashi, Kumaon, and Himachal Pradesh, saving tens of thousands of trees.
By the end of a decade, Chipko was no longer a protest—it was a revolution.
The Women Who Risked Everything
These women were not professional activists. They were housewives, mothers, and widows who risked everything:
- Facing down armed loggers without fear.
- Spending nights in the forest without food or shelter.
- Sacrificing household work leads to poverty and hunger.
- Being mocked as “backward” or “anti-progress.”
Their courage turned them into the pioneers of eco-feminism decades before anyone had ever even heard the term.
Why Forests Were More Than Trees: The Science Behind the Struggle
What villagers knew instinctively, science later confirmed:
- A hectare of Himalayan forest saves 20–25 tonnes of soil erosion every year.
- Roots hold together mountain slopes, preventing landslides and floods.
- Forests refill groundwater and control springs that are essential for agriculture.
For the women, tree-saving was a matter of survival. Their people’s wisdom was ecological science in action.
Songs, Slogans, and Spirit That Moved a Nation
Chipko’s strength was not only in protest but in culture. Villagers sang folk verses that became slogans of resistance:
“What do the forests bear?
Soil, water, and pure air.
Soil, water, and pure air,
They are the basis of life.”
These songs, sung by women like Sudesha Devi, carried more force than speeches. They gave Chipko its heartbeat.
Leaders Who Amplified the Voices of Women
As women were on the front lines, leaders propagated the message further:
- Sundarlal Bahuguna, a Gandhian, walked 5,000 km across the Himalayas to popularize Chipko. His phrase—“Ecology is a permanent economy”—remains iconic.
- Chandi Prasad Bhatt created cooperatives that balanced forest protection with livelihoods.
Their leadership ensured Chipko was not ignored as a local dispute but recognized as a national ecological awakening.
Gandhi’s Non-Violence Reborn in the Forests
Chipko copied Gandhian satyagraha. Hugging trees instead of resisting loggers was nonviolent resistance.
Timber Profits vs. Human Survival: The Central Clash of Chipko
Contractors saw forests as timber profits. Villagers saw them as life support. The consequences of felling were already visible:
- Dried springs that ruined crops.
- Erosion of terraced fields is making farming impossible.
- Disastrous landslides during monsoons.
The movement posed a timeless question: Should development come at the cost of survival itself?
When Laws Finally Changed: Chipko’s Impact on Policy
Chipko left a deep mark on India’s environmental laws:
- 1980: Indira Gandhi ordered a 15-year ban on green felling in Uttarakhand’s Himalayas.
- 1980: The Forest Conservation Act gave the central government power to regulate deforestation.
- 1985: Establishment of India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Chipko also motivated subsequent struggles such as the Appiko Movement of Karnataka (1983) and international controversy such as the 1992 Earth Summit.
From the Himalayas to the World: Chipko’s Global Legacy
Chipko became a global icon of grassroots conservation.
- Chandi Prasad Bhatt was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1987.
- Sundarlal Bahuguna spoke at international conferences, bringing Himalayan ecology to the world.
- It was hailed by academics as the cradle of eco-feminism.
At the same time, similar struggles arose: Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement in Kenya (1977) and Amazonian tribes fighting ranchers in Brazil. Chipko stood proudly as part of this global wave.
Why Chipko Feels Prophetic in Today’s Climate Crisis
Years after, Chipko’s message is prophetic. The 2013 Kedarnath flood, the subsidence of land at Joshimath in 2023, and recurrent Himalayan landslides all affirm the cost of deforestation. India continues to lose over 15,000 sq. km of forest land every ten years.
The Chipko women never uttered a word about “climate change,” yet the message was clear: humans can’t survive without forests.
The Hidden Struggles Behind the Glory
Beneath the headlines there were covert struggles. Families fell below the poverty line while women spent days in the woods. Activists like Bahuguna were intimidated by officials. Activists were labeled “anti-development” by the majority. They persisted, demonstrating that ordinary people could change policy against powerful interests.
The Torch Passed On: From Gaura Devi to Today’s Youth Climate Strikes
Today’s global youth climate movements—Fridays for Future, anti-Aarey forest-clearing protests by Indian youths in Mumbai—echo the Chipko ethos. The medium is hashtags and placards rather than folk ballads, but the message is the same: save nature at the cost of the future.
The Lesson in Every Hug: Why Chipko Is Not Just History But a Call to Action
Chipko never took place apart from trees. It took place along with dignity, survival, and future generations’ rights. When Gaura Devi, Bachni Devi, Sudesha Devi, Lata Devi, Chandi Devi, and Phooldei Devi hugged trees, they were fighting for the future of India.
Their hands bridge the centuries and appeal to us: If it was possible for poor village women way back in the 1970s to stop the axe with their bare hands, why are we silent today, with satellites, policy, and science?
FOR MORE BLOGS – beyondthepunchlines.com
Author: Anjali Pandey
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