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45th anniversary of ‘Chipko Movement’ marked with Google Doodle (Lead, correcting intro)

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Mumbai, March 26 (IANS) A Google Doodle on Monday celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Chipko Movement, one of the most influential non-political eco-conservation movements in the world, among whose stalwarts were Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sundarlal Bahuguna.

The Goodle (Google + Doodle) illustration takes off from an original picture of the movement spearheaded by Gaura Devi, who learnt late on March 25, 1974, that a group of loggers had arrived to butcher trees in her Reni village, in modern-day Uttarakhand.

With a group of her ‘sahelis’ she rushed to the tree-felling site and despite threats at gun-point and abuses by the loggers, they surrounded the trees and ‘stuck’ (chipko) to them all night.

The next day, the news spread like wildfire and people from many surrounding villages also joined in ‘hugging’ to save their beloved trees. After a face-off of four days the lumberers left and the trees were saved.

The Goodle, created by Svabhu Kohli and Viplov Singh, depicts four women — among them purportedly Gaura Devi, Sudesha Devi, Bachni Devi — protectively surrounding a huge tree in a forest in the dead of the night.

Under a half-moon, an invisible river is flowing with a deserted bridge over it, and several baffled forest creatures, nesting birds suspiciously eyeing the ‘trespassers’ below the fruity tree, as the Google logo is created with a flourish from the clouds, the tree and its branches.

the ‘Chipko Movement’ was launched in a non-violent, Gandhian style, in the foothills of the Himalayas in the then Garhwal region to protest trees that were being indiscriminately chopped off in the name of development, but were detrimental to the villagers and tribals living there since centuries.

The movement shot into global limelight with the (aforementioned) Gaura Devi-led initiative to protect the trees in her village and soon it spread in different parts of the country with villagers peacefully ‘hugging’ trees to save them from the axes.

Interestingly, long before the epochal movement, there was a small eco-friendly initiative in September 1731, when some 363 members of the Bishnoi community of Khejarli, Jodhpur region, voluntarily sacrificed their lives to protect the Khejri trees, worshipped on the last day of Dussehra festival.

Taken aback by the ‘green’ fervour of the villagers, finally Maharaja Abhai Singh of Marwar issued a royal decree banning all tree-felling in the Bishnoi areas of his desert kingdom.

Later, a monument to commemorate the Bishnoi massacre was constructed and it stands testimony to the peoples’ sacrifices in the village even today.

The modern-day ‘Chipko Movement’ started in April 1973, in a modest way in the snowy foothills and the upper valley of the Alakananda River in Mandal village in what is now Uttarakhand.

Angered by the state government’s move to allot lush forest lands to a sports goods manufacturer to make tennis racquets, the locals encircled and ‘hugged’ trees for days to prevent their felling.

Though it was essentially a female-led movement, many men joined in and the movement drew the attention of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who in 1980 imposed a 15-year prohibition of tree-cutting activities in the sub-Himalayan regions till the entire forest cover was regained.

Emboldened by the success of the eco-feminist movement that proved to be a boon the environment protection, Bahuguna later embarked on a 5000-km foot-march (1981-1983) in the trans-Himalayan region to inspire the villagers on taking up campaigns to save the environment.

This resulted in diverse activities like women’s groups guarding forests from illegal tree-cutting, fodder production from jungles, setting up plant nurseries and afforestation drives to reclaim the green cover, in some areas women tied ‘Rakhi’ to trees for protecting them, and other measures to minimize or end exploitation of forests for blatant commercial gains at the expense of the local communities.

For their efforts, Bhatt recieved the Ramon Magsaysay award. Bahuguna, who has retired to his native Maroda village in Uttarakhand, has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the Right Livelihood Award (the Alternate Nobel) and Jamnalal Bajaj Award, among many others.

“The ‘Chipko Andolan’ also stands out as an eco-feminist movement. Women formed the nuclear of the movement, as the group most directly affected by the lack of firewood and drinking water caused by deforestation.

“The power of protest is an invaluable and powerful agent of social change. Take some time to hug your favourite tree-hugger in celebration of the ‘Chipko Movement’!” said Google in its tribute.

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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