DEHRADUN
: On the 92nd birthday of
Chipko Movement leader Sunder Lal Bahuguna, civil society activists in the state, led by Himalayan Unity Mission (HUM), announced that they will dedicate this year’s environment day to him.
Anil Joshi, founder of HUM said that Bahuguna “is the face of resistance against the pillaging of natural resources and the biggest ambassador of environment conservation.” “We will dedicate this year’s environment day, which is celebrated on June 5, to him. We will also display books and works of Bahuguna through an exhibition in the state capital and a number of workshops will also be organised to make people aware of the sensitive environment issues,” Joshi said, adding that hundreds of books have been written on Bahuguna and Chipko Movement and th”e young generation needs to read them.”
Speaking to TOI, Bahuguna said that a new generation of young activists must now take up the cause of protecting environment. “We need a new generation to take up the cause. Although we need development, it should not be at the cost of our mother nature,” he said.
Born in 1927 in
Tehri Garhwal district
of
Uttarakhand
, Bahuguna had famously coined the term ‘Ecology is Permanent Economy’ in 1974 and brought to prominence the Chipko Movement through his 5,000-km-long Himalayan March.
Bahuguna had also denied accepting the
Padma Shri saying that he cannot accept the award as long as trees were being cut.Drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, Bahuguna used Gandhi’s teachings of non-violence to protest against the
Tehri Dam
.
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