One of the most pivotal and community-driven movements for the conservation of the environment that started in India was, of course, the ‘Chipko Movement. Started in the early ’70s by the villagers of the Alaknanda Valley, it showed the world a peaceful way of protesting for the benefit of the environment.
It first began from the Mandal Village in 1973, when the UP government sanctioned the cutting of approximately 300 trees for commercial use. The rest is what created history.
The real reform started near Reni village in 1974. Gauri Devi, a woman from the Reni village gathered other women from the village and saved around 2500 trees. In the pages of history, Gaura Devi’s name is engraved in golden letters.
Gaura Devi was born in 1925, hailing from the Marchcha Family of the Laata village in Chamoli. She was married at a very young age and moved to Reni village. Life had other plans for this young bride. She was widowed at the tender age of 22 with a son to take care of. Her experiences made her stronger and she engaged in various Panchayati activities and worked towards the upliftment of women.
Because of her strong personality and active participation in the conservation of the environment, women began to admire her. The Chipko Movement had already picked up its pace. Gaura Devi was leading the ‘Mahila Mangal Mandal’ by then.
The role of this grassroots organization was to spread awareness about the importance of forests. It was when the order to chop down trees in the Reni belt was issued. Gaura Devi tried to reason with the officials but they hurled abuses at the women and even hatched a divergent plan to ensure the trees are chopped. They even used guns to scare off these women. But all their plans went in vain when the state government imposed a complete ban on commercial deforestation.
Even after this incident, Gaura Devi kept working tirelessly for the betterment of the environment. While the people of Uttarakhand had kept the galore of ‘Modern Day Jhandi ki Rani’ alive, her name has somewhat been covered in dust over time.
Seeing her great contribution towards the society, Uttarakhand government started a scheme naming Gaura Devi Kanya Dhan yojana that empowers local womens of Uttarakhand
She breathed her last at the age of 66. Yet, she will always be alive in the hearts of people for her brave efforts.