Thirtieth Anniversary of the Chipko Movement

Thirtieth Anniversary of the Chipko Movement
26 March, 2004, Reni, Uttarakhand, India

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Send greetings to Reni village as they commemorate the
direct action that saved their community forests and
inspired a generation of women to struggle for forest rights
in the Indian Himalayas

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This 26 March, the villages of the Niti Valley in the
Garhwal Himalayas of India will be celebrating the thirtieth
anniversary of the Chipko Movement. Thirty years ago,
twenty-seven women and girls from Reni village led by Gaura
Devi saved their communal forest from clear felling,
beginning a decade of Chipko direct actions by women
throughout the Uttarakhand region.

Villagers and guests will hold a mass meeting in Lata
village (Gaura Devi's ancestral home) on the 25th before
proceeding to Reni village (Gaura Devi's adopted home) for
the mass rally on March 26th.

You can read about the historic role of Gaura Devi in the
Chipko Movement as well as send your own anniversary
greetings to the festivities at the newly constructed Nanda
Devi Campaign Web Site @  http://nandadevi.org/

About Chipko:  http://nandadevi.org/chipko.html
Send Greetings:  http://nandadevi.org/messages.html

[Please send greetings before 24 March]

Both Lata and Reni villages lie in the vicinity of the Nanda
Devi Biosphere Reserve that is the current site of struggle
for community rights over local lands and resources. Read
about the latest campaigns to rectify historic injustices
and safeguard the local people's future through a
sustainable, community-based eco-tourism policy, as well as
how you can support their efforts.

For more information please contact:
Alliance for Development
 dhaar@vsnl.com