Google Doodle honours Chipko Movement, celebrates 45th anniversary

March 26, 2018 marks the 45th anniversary of the Chipko Movement also called Chipko Andolan. Yes, the same Chipko movement – the landmark forest conservation movement, about which we read while growing up.

Search engine leader Google is dedicating a colourful doodle to honour the historical event, just a day after dedicating its Indian users with a Google doodle on legendary actor Late. Farooq Sheikh.

The artistic design depicts a group of women standing around a tree, delineating their fight against deforestation. ‘Chipko’ means ‘to hug’ or ‘to stick’, and thus the movement got its name as hundreds of nature lovers hugged the trees to save them from being illegally cut down.

The dedicated Google doodle is dedicated to Chipko Andolan in the 1970s.

Who started the Chipko Movement?

Sundarlal Bahuguna, a famous environmentalist started the movement to save the attractive regional forest in Uttar Pradesh (Uttarakhand was a part of UP back then).

Chipko Andolan was to preserve forests for being cruelly chopped off for construction of dams, setting up factories and roads. Bahuguna was joined by numerous groups of people with similar thoughts, thus beginning a non-violent movement against cutting of trees.

‘Ecology is permanent Economy’ – this was the slogan of the movement as he guided villagers to hug the trees to save them from merciless axes.

Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi banned cutting of trees in the Himalayan forests, making the non-violence movement a success.Bahuguna and renowned activists like Dhoom Negi, Bachni Devi celebrated success.

ALSO READ: Chipko movement 45th Anniversary: Here's all you need to know about landmark Forest Conservation Movement

Who created Chipko Movement Google Doodle?

Artist Svabhu Kohli and Viplov Singh are behind the beautiful doodle in honour of Chipko Movement by Google. Rich in colour, with all the necessary elements in it.

The sections are magnificently divided. A large tree is surrounded by a group of four women dressed in traditional dress holding their hands under bright moon light.

The whole movement was carried forward by women contributors, who acted as a driving force in educating people on the effects of deforestation.