It Was the Ladies Who Hugged the Trees

Outside/In

NHPR

Society & Culture, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Nature, Science

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 6 January 2022

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On May 21, 2021, an influential environmental activist died of Covid-19 and you probably didn’t hear about it. Sunderlal Bahuguna’s passing didn’t make the major news outlets in the US, but it was a big deal in India, where he was the renowned leader of the Chipko movement against deforestation in the 1970s. Chipko is a Hindi word for “hugging”, but according to Bahuguna, he was just the messenger of the movement. “It was the ladies who hugged the trees,” he said. This story is about the life and legacy of Sunderlal Bahuguna, and the tree huggers that saved India’s forests. Featuring: Haritima Bahuguna SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook LINKS On The Fence: Chipko Movement Re-visited The Axing of the Himalayas Appiko (To Embrace) CREDITS Reported and produced by Felix Poon Host: Justine Paradis Edited by Taylor Quimby Additional editing by Justine Paradis, and Erika Janik Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie Mixed by Felix Poon Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder Additional music by Saumya Bahuguna, Samuel Corwin, and Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Outside In, a show about the natural world and how we use it.
0:04.5	I'm Justine Paradise.
0:07.2	On May 21st, 2021, a man by the name of Sundar Lal Bahuguna passed away from COVID.
0:14.5	Not many in the United States noticed.
0:16.8	His passing didn't make the news in any of the major outlets in the U.S.
0:21.2	But it got extensive coverage in India.
0:25.2	Sundar Lal Bahuguna and Chippu Andhra.
0:27.2	Sundar Lal Bahuguna, a pioneer of the Chippu movement against Deforestation in the 70s.
0:33.2	Sundar Lal Bahuguna died due to COVID-19 at Ames Rishikesh on Friday.
0:38.2	The 94-year-old activist.
0:40.2	The reason Bahuguna's death was big news there is because he was the most well-known leader
0:45.2	of a movement in India called the Chippu movement.
0:49.2	It was a movement that took place in the 1970s in the region of the Himalayas.
0:53.2	And that was a watershed moment, inspiring greater environmental consciousness across India,
0:59.2	as well as other environmental movements across the world.
1:03.2	Our producer, Felix Poon, tells this story about the life and legacy of Sundar Lal Bahuguna.
1:18.2	When I first learned about the Chippu movement,
1:21.2	I thought, this is an amazing story.
1:24.2	How come I've never heard about it?
1:26.2	I wasn't alone.
1:28.2	When I asked other people in the U.S. if they'd ever heard of it, they said the same thing.
1:32.2	They'd never heard of Chippu Or of Sundar Lal Bahuguna.
	...

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