An activist writes how the Chipko Movement inspired him to conserve forests in South India

Parvatiya Navjeevan Ashram is situated on a small hillock overlooking the Bhilangana Valley along the Bhilangana River, one of the tributaries of the Bhagirathi, in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal). This was the epicentre of the Chipko Andolan led by Sunderlal and Vimla Bahuguna. Unlike other Gandhian ashrams or communities, it had simple cottages and a small office from where Chipko activists worked, evolving strategies and creating hand-printed pamphlets to be distributed in the villages. There was a primary school on the campus run by the ashram and it had a small patch of agricultural land. As part of the ashram rules, those living on the campus had to participate in common activities like prayer and cleaning, but they also contributed towards the labour, working on the farm to produce food, or assisting in agricultural activities. The concept behind establishing the ashram was to prepare the younger generation of activists to fight for the cause of social and economic justice, based on Gandhian ideology. Thus, equal opportunity was given for both intellectual and physical work.

When I arrived at the ashram to learn from the Chipko movement, Sunderlal Bahuguna said to me, “If you are visiting the ashram to build a...

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