Caring for Nature: The Forests belong to us

(The Story of the Chipko Andolan)

Manjari sat under a tree, lost in her thoughtful world, enjoying the breeze past noon. But something unusual caught her attention – a sinister-looking bus was silently lumbering up the slope on the path that steered to the forest. Lately, other strange and worrying things had been happening in her village including auctioning of her favourite oak tree by the Forest Department. Alarmed, Manjari ran towards the village and to alert. What happened next was most unusual. Was Manjari able to save the oak tree? Who were the passengers in the bus? Why was the forest department hell bent on cutting the trees that kept the village safe from floods? The Forests Belong to Us tells you how women and children by most peaceful means, by hugging the trees, saved the guardians of nature. This small incident planted the seeds of the first people’s movement to save trees, called the Chipko Andolan.