THE LINK BETWEEN CHIPKO AND CHAMOLI
On February 7, a flash flood, triggered by a glacial burst in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, devastated Reni village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. Reports suggest that the residents of Reni, the birthplace of the Chipko movement, want to relocate to safer areas.
This week we recommend historian Shekhar Pathak’s The Chipko Movement: A People’s History. The book is the definitive history of the movement, which, in 1973, inaugurated modern environmentalism in the country. Unlike other books on the movement, Pathak’s book sharply brings out its subaltern dimension. It is a must-read not just for those interested in environmental movements, but also those who want to understand the reasons behind natural disasters, how the environment shapes the lives of people and why it needs to be safeguarded at all cost. Pathak has been a grassroots environmental activist and intellectual — and there can be no better chronicler of the movement. HT’S editors offer a book recommendation every Saturday, which provides history, context, and helps understand recent news events