103.203.72.50: /Chipak move/

2022-01-01T08:30:03Z

*/Chipak move*/

>Elemimele: removing obvious vandalism

2021-07-04T08:30:24Z

removing obvious vandalism

New page

{{Short description|Indian environmental activist (1927–2021)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Sunderlal Bahuguna
|image =Sunderlal Bahuguna at New Tehri cropped.jpg
|caption=Bahuguna in October 2010
|image_size = 220
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1927|1|09}}<ref>{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/dams-paving-way-for-more-calamities-sunderlal-bahuguna/articleshow/62434100.cms | title=Dams paving way for more calamities: Sunderlal Bahuguna | first=Seema | last=Sharma | date=10 January 2018 | newspaper=The Times of India | access-date=17 October 2018 }}</ref>|death_date={{Death date and age |df=yes|2021|5|21|1927|1|09}}<ref name="toi">{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/environmentalist-sundarlal-bahuguna-dies-of-covid-at-aiims-rishikesh/articleshow/82824509.cms | title=Environmentalist Sundarlal Bahuguna dies of Covid at AIIMS-Rishikesh | work=[[The Times of India]] | date=21 May 2021 | access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref>
|birth_place = [[Maroda]], [[Tehri Garhwal]], Uttarakhand, British India<ref>[http://www.betterworldheroes.com/bahuguna.htm Bahuguna] ''betterworldheroes.com''.</ref>
|death_place = [[Rishikesh]], Uttarakhand, India<ref name="toi" />
|occupation = {{Hlist | Activist | [[Gandhian]] | environmentalist}}
| spouse = Vimla Bahuguna
| children =3
}}

'''Sunderlal Bahuguna''' (9 January 1927 – 21 May 2021) was an Indian [[environmentalist]] and [[Chipko movement]] leader. The idea of the Chipko movement was his wife's. He fought for the preservation of forests in the [[Himalayas]], first as a member of the Chipko movement in the 1970s, and later spearheaded the anti-[[Tehri Dam]] movement from the 1980s to early 2004.<ref name="tri" /> He was one of the early environmentalists of India,<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE1DB103BF931A25757C0A964958260 Sunderlal Bahuguna, a pioneer of India's environmental movement...] ''The New York Times'', 12 April 1992.</ref> and later he and others associated with the Chipko movement started taking up wider environmental issues, such as being opposed to large dams..<ref>https://www.news18.com/news/india/sundarlal-bahuguna-chipko-movement-3764117.html</ref>

==Early life==
Sunderlal Bahuguna was born in the village Maroda near [[Tehri]], [[Uttarakhand]], on 9 January 1927. Early on, he fought against [[untouchability]] and later started organising hill women in his anti-liquor drive from 1965 to 1970.<ref>[http://www.culturopedia.com/personalities/indianpersonality-sunderlal.html Sunderlal Bahuguna] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227151459/http://www.culturopedia.com/Personalities/indianpersonality-sunderlal.html |date=27 December 2008 }} ''culturopedia.com''.</ref> He started social activities at the age of thirteen, under the guidance of [[Shri Dev Suman]], who was a nationalist spreading a message of non-violence,<ref name=thakur>{{cite book|last=Pallavi Takur|first=Vikas Arora, Sheetal Khanka|title=Chipko Movement|year=2010|publisher=Global Vision Pub. House|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788182202887|page=131|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_V9tgT_8170C&pg=PA131|edition=1st}}</ref> and he was with the [[Indian National Congress|Congress Party]] of [[Uttar Pradesh]] at the time of Independence.<ref name=vandana>{{cite book|last=Shiva|first=Vandana|title=Staying alive: women, ecology, and development|year=1990|publisher=Zed Books|location=London|isbn=9780862328238|page=70|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GPaA4Nb0w0YC&pg=PA70}}</ref> Bahuguna also mobilised people against colonial rule before 1947.<ref name="goldsmith">{{cite news|last=Goldsmith|first=Katherine|date=1997|title=A Gentle Warrior|newspaper=Resurgence & Ecologist|url=http://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article2256-a-gentle-warrior.html|access-date=8 October 2012}}</ref> He adopted [[Gandhian]] principles in his life and married his wife Vimla with the condition that they would live among rural people and establish ashram in village.<ref name=goldsmith/> Inspired by Gandhi, he walked through Himalayan forests and hills, covering more than 4,700 kilometres on foot and observed the damage done by mega developmental projects on the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas and subsequent degradation of social life in villages.<ref name=goldsmith/>

==Chipko movement==
The [[Chipko movement]] started in the early 1970s in Uttarakhand (then a part of Uttar Pradesh) from spontaneous action by villagers to save trees from being cut down by forest contractors.<ref name=right/> In Hindi, "chipko" literally means "hug", and the movement got this name since people trying to save trees started hugging and holding onto trees when lumbermen tried to fell those. One of Sunderlal Bahuguna's notable contributions to the Chipko movement, and to environmentalism in general, was his creation of the Chipko's slogan "Ecology is permanent economy".<ref>{{Cite news|others=|date=2021-05-21|title=Environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna passes away|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/environmentalist-sunderlal-bahuguna-passes-away/article34613876.ece|access-date=2021-06-13|issn=0971-751X|quote=He also coined the Chipko slogan: 'ecology is permanent economy'}}</ref> Sunderlal Bahuguna helped bring the movement to prominence through a 5,000-kilometer trans-Himalaya march<ref name=goldsmith/> undertaken from 1981 to 1983, travelling from village to village, gathering support for the movement.<ref>https://www.thenorthlines.com/homage-to-padma-shri-sundarlal-bahugana/</ref> He had an appointment with the then Indian Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] and that meeting is credited with resulting in Gandhi's subsequent 15-year ban on cutting of green trees in 1980.<ref name="tri">[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070708/edit.htm#2 Bahuguna, the sentinel of Himalayas] by Harihar Swarup, ''The Tribune'', 8 July 2007.</ref> He was also closely associated with [[Gaura Devi]], one of the pioneers of the movement.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://thefederal.com/news/chipko-movement-leader-sunderlal-bahuguna-succumbs-to-covid/amp/ | title=Chipko movement leader Sunderlal Bahuguna succumbs to COVID | publisher=The Federal | date=21 May 2021 | access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref>

==Anti Tehri Dam protests==
[[File:A protest message against Tehri dam, Garhwal, Uttarakhand.jpg|right|200px|thumb|A protest message against [[Tehri dam]], which was steered by Sundarlal Bahuguna for years. It says "We don't want the dam. The dam is the mountain's destruction."]]
Bahuguna played a major role in the anti-[[Tehri Dam]] protests for decades. He used [[Satyagraha]] methods and repeatedly went on [[hunger strike]]s at the banks of [[Bhagirathi]] as a mark of his protest.<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE0D71E39F93BA2575AC0A966958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Big Dam on Source of the Ganges Proceeds Despite Earthquake Fear] ''[[New York Times]]'', 18 September 1990.</ref> In 1995, he called off a 45-day-long fast following an assurance from the then Prime Minister [[P.V. Narasimha Rao]] of the appointment of a review committee on the ecological impacts of the dam. Thereafter he went on another long fast which lasted for 74 days at [[Raj Ghat|Gandhi Samadhi, Raj Ghat]], during the tenure of Prime Minister [[H.D. Deve Gowda]], who gave personal undertaking of project review.<ref>[http://uttarakhand.prayaga.org/bahuguna.html "If the Himalayas die, this country is nowhere"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209062905/http://uttarakhand.prayaga.org/bahuguna.html|date=9 December 2006}}. An Interview with Sunderlal Bahuguna with Anuradha Dutt (1996 Rediff Article). Uttarakhand.prayaga.org. Retrieved on 1 May 2012.</ref> However, despite a court case which ran in the Supreme Court for over a decade,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ishizaka|first=Shinya|date=2006|title=The Anti Tehri Dam Movement as a New Social Movement and Gandhism|url=https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjasas1989/2006/18/2006_18_76/_pdf|format=PDF|journal=Journal of the Japanese Association for South Asian Studies|volume=18|pages=76–95|via=[[J-STAGE]]}}</ref> work resumed at the Tehri Dam in 2001, after which he was arrested on 24 April 2001.<ref>{{cite web|date=24 April 2001|title=Bahuguna arrested, construction on Tehri project starts|url=https://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/bahuguna-arrested-construction-on-tehri-project-starts_12159.html|access-date=23 May 2021|website=Zee News|language=en}}</ref>

Eventually, the dam reservoir started filling up in 2004, and on 31 July 2004 he was finally evacuated to a new accommodation at Koti. Later he shifted to the capital city of Uttarakhand, [[Dehradun]], and began living there with his wife.<ref name="tri" />

==Legacy and Inspiration==
[[File:Sundarlal Bahuguna interacting with students.jpg|right|thumbnail|Sundarlal Bahuguna interacting with students of LB & SBS College, Sagar Shimoga]]
On September 8, 1983, Pandurang Hegde, an environmental activist from Karnataka, started the Appiko (Kannada for Chipko, "to hug") movement to protest against felling of trees, [[monoculture]], and deforestation in the [[Western Ghats]], deriving inspiration from Sunderlal Bahugana and the Chipko movement.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oneindia.com/2008/11/17/25-years-appiko-green-movement-trees-karnataka-1226914200.html?story=3/| title=25 years of Appiko, a green movement to save trees in Karnataka | publisher=oneindia | date=17 November 2008 | access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref> Bahuguna had visited the region in 1979 to help in the campaign against the proposed [[Bedthi River|Bedthi]] hydroelectric project. After the Appiko movement started, Bahuguna and Pandurang Hegde walked across many parts of south India promoting conservation of ecology, especially the protection of the Western Ghats, a [[biodiversity hotspot]]. This and the broader Save the Western Ghats Movement led to a moratorium on green felling across the region in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kothari|first=Ashish|date=2021-06-04|title=Sunderlal Bahuguna: Himalaya’s foot soldier|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/obituary/himalayas-environmentalist-foot-soldier-sunderlal-bahuguna-tribute-obituary/article34717461.ece|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-13|website=Frontline|language=en}}</ref>

While best known as an environmental activist and as a passionate defender of the Himalayan people<ref>[http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2117/stories/20040827002803600.htm 'My fight is to save the Himalayas'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926212457/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2117/stories/20040827002803600.htm|date=26 September 2007}} ''[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]'', Volume 21 – Issue 17, 14– 27Aug 2004.</ref><ref>[http://uttarakhand.prayaga.org/bahuguna.html Bahuguna] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209062905/http://uttarakhand.prayaga.org/bahuguna.html|date=9 December 2006}} ''uttarakhand.prayaga.org''</ref> and India's rivers, Bahuguna also worked to improve the plight of the hill people, especially working women, and was associated with temperance movements and earlier on with struggles against casteist discrimination.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kothari|first=Ashish|date=2021-05-21|title=Sunderlal Bahuguna: Simply Extraordinary|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/sunderlal-bahuguna-simply-extraordinary/article34615794.ece|access-date=2021-06-13|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

Bahuguna passed away on May 21, 2021 due to COVID-19 complications.<ref>{{cite news|date=21 May 2021|title=Noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna passes away|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/environmentalist-sunderlal-bahuguna-dies-of-covid-in-rishikesh-hospital/articleshow/82825831.cms|access-date=21 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=21 May 2021|title=LIVE: Leader of Chipko Movement, Sunderlal Bahuguna, succumbs to Covid-19|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/covid19-coronavirus-latest-updates-death-toll-india-world-may-21-2021-101621559755794.html|access-date=21 May 2021|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=25 May 2021|title=उत्तराखंड: सुंदरवन के पौधों की जड़ों में विसर्जित की गई सुंदरलाल बहुगुणा की अस्थियां|url=https://www.amarujala.com/dehradun/uttarakhand-news-sunderlal-bahuguna-bones-sprinkle-in-sundarban-trees|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-13|website=Amar Ujala|language=hi}}</ref> Shortly after, he was commemorated by [[Amul]] in one of its advertisements.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 24, 2021|title='We will always Chipko to your beliefs': Amul fondly remembers Sundarlal Bahuguna in viral topical|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/article/amuls-viral-topical-pays-tribute-to-chipko-movement-pioneer-sundarlal-bahuguna/761150|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-13|website=www.timesnownews.com|language=en}}</ref>

==Awards==
* 1987: [[Right Livelihood Award]] ([[Chipko Movement]])<ref name="right">[http://www.rightlivelihood.org/chipko.html Chipko] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223206/http://www.rightlivelihood.org/chipko.html |date= 3 March 2016 }} ''[[Right Livelihood Award]]'' Official website.</ref>
* 1986: [[Jamnalal Bajaj Award]] for constructive work.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jamnalal Bajaj Awards Archive |url=http://www.jamnalalbajajfoundation.org/awards/archives/2010 |publisher=[[Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation]]}}</ref>
* 1989: Honorary Degree of Doctor of [[Social Sciences]] was conferred by [[IIT Roorkee]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 May 2021|title=Noted environmental activist Sundarlal Bahuguna passes away|url=https://starofmysore.com/noted-environmental-activist-sundarlal-bahuguna-passes-away/|access-date=23 May 2021|website=Star of Mysore|language=en-US}}</ref>
* 2009: [[Padma Vibhushan]] Award by government of India for environment conservation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/List-of-Padma-awardees-2009/article16360332.ece|title=List of Padma awardees 2009|date=26 January 2009|work=The Hindu|access-date=12 February 2018|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref name=gov>{{cite web | url=http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmavibhushan_awards_list1.php | title=Padma Vishushan awardees | publisher=[[Govt. of India]] Portal | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427005511/http://india.gov.in:80/myindia/padmavibhushan_awards_list1.php | archive-date=27 April 2009 | access-date=17 October 2018}}</ref>
* 1987: [[Padma Shri]] (Refused) In 1987 Bahuguna had refused to accept the Padma Shri over the government’s refusal to cancel the Tehri dam project despite his protests.

==Books ==
*''India's Environment: Myth & Reality'' with [[Vandana Shiva]], [[Medha Patkar]]<ref name="books"/>
*''Environmental Crisis and Humans at Risk: Priorities for action'' with Rajiv K.Sinha<ref name="books"/>
*''Bhu Prayog Men Buniyadi Parivartan Ki Or'' (Hindi)<ref name="books"/>
*''Dharti Ki Pukar'' (Hindi)<ref name="books">{{cite web |publisher=flipkart |title=Sunderlal Bahuguna |url=http://www.flipkart.com/search/a/books?semcmpid=sem_books_goog&query=sunderlal%20bahuguna&gclid=CLjysaeT8bICFVEk6wody0oAZQ |access-date=8 October 2012}}</ref>
*James, George Alfred (2013). Ecology is Permanent Economy: The Activism and Environmentalism of Sunderlal Bahuguna. Albany: State University of New York.<ref>{{Cite book|last=James|first=George Alfred|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/853454277|title=Ecology is permanent economy : the activism and environmental philosophy of Sunderlal Bahuguna|date=2013|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-1-4619-3540-7|location=Albany, NY|oclc=853454277}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030730201828/http://www.resurgence.gn.apc.org/articles/goldsmith.htm An essay by Katherine Goldsmith]
* [http://www.narmada.org/related.issues/kali/press.releases/20030605.html "If the Himalayas die, this country is nowhere"]

{{Padma Vibhushan Awards}}
{{Jamnalal Bajaj Award winners}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahuguna, Sundarlal}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:Activists from Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:People from New Tehri]]
[[Category:Gandhians]]
[[Category:Indian environmentalists]]
[[Category:Nonviolence advocates]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in other fields]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India]]

Sunderlal Bahuguna - Revision history

103.203.72.50: */Chipak move*/

>Elemimele: removing obvious vandalism

103.203.72.50: /Chipak move/