Friends of the Earth
- ninoxmitwpu
- Dec 20, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 7, 2022
What if we told you that the Nazis were not all bad? Maybe not in the genocide narrative but the environment conservation front. It will be shocking to know that most high-ranking German Nazi officials were environmentalists. The term environmentalism has been around since the early 1800’s majorly inspired by the Romanticism ideology. Unlike what the name suggests, Romanticism was not based on love but rather it romanticized nature in a way it wasn’t before. This was further intensified with the industrial movement in the late 1800s. With the rapid development came large-scale industrial pollution of land, water, and air. Deforestation reached a level high. This sparked the environmentalist movement in Britain forming associations to protect nature’s interests. It spread in North America with the formation of the famous Yosemite National park by the first recognized environmentalist, Sir John Muir. Fast forward to the early 20th century, the Nazis put stricter laws to protect wildlife and conserve the environment (It is as shocking to write good about them as it is to read!). Soon, books about the environment spread awareness about nature conservation. Environmentalism as an ideology flourished and took different shapes throughout history and now continues to live on within us as an indispensable part of our socio-political lives. This piece of literature aims to look at some influential Indian environmentalists that have contributed hugely but silently to the betterment of our society. These individuals have devoted their lives to this cause, bringing awareness and starting movements that have set in motion and contributed to the green revolution we are living in.
If you are a well-informed human, you would know about the bare-footed old woman who took the stage in her traditional outfit accepting the 2020 Padma-Shri from the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan this November. Smt. Tulsi Gowda received the fourth highest civilian award for Social Work. She is an environmentalist from Karnataka who has planted more than 30,000 saplings and has been involved in environmental conservation activities for the past six decades. She hails from the Halakki tribe family within the Honnali village. Smt. Tulasi has extensive knowledge about medicinal herbs and has worked directly with the forest ministry of Karnataka for 15 years to aid and help in re-plantations and conservation. Even though having tough beginnings and married as a child, Tulasi worked unconditionally to support herself and her family. She worked in a nursery at an early age and that jump-started her extensive knowledge about flora. Outside of environmentalism, Tulsi Gowda has also championed women’s rights within her village. When another Halakki woman was threatened with a gun after an altercation, Gowda came to her aid stating that she will “protest fiercely if the perpetrator of the crime isn’t punished”. She has left behind her a legacy that promotes love for nature. Her dedication and work remind us that no matter the background, working for nature is something all of us should do. She now has retired from the forest ministry and teaches kids in her tribe to carry on her work.
Another fierce daughter of the land, famously known as the mother of Indian environmental science, Dr. Sunita Narain is a Delhi-based environmentalist and author. She is currently the Director-General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Editor of the fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth. Dr. Narain plays an active role in policy formulation on issues of environment and development in India and globally. She has worked extensively on climate change, with a particular interest in advocating for an ambitious and equitable global agreement. Her work on air pollution, water, and waste management, as well as industrial pollution, has led to an understanding of the need for affordable and sustainable solutions in countries like India where the challenge is to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth. She was a member of the Indian Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change and has been awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honor. In 2005, the Centre for Science and Environment, under her leadership was also awarded the Stockholm Water Prize. In 2016, Time magazine selected her as one of the most influential people in the world. She received “The Order of the Polar Star” award from the Swedish Government in 2017. Narain appeared alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the documentary ‘Before the Flood’ and talked about the impact of climate change on the Monsoon in India and how it affects farmers. Penguin has recently published her new book Conflicts of Interest, in which she has written about CSE’s campaigns from air pollution to colas to tigers. She continues to serve on national and international committees on the environment.
“We are doing violence towards the earth, towards nature. We have become butchers of nature,” says the man who taught India to hug trees — Sunderlal Bahuguna was known to the world as the man who taught Indians to hug trees to protect the environment. He was one of the main leaders of the Chipko movement in northern India in the 1970s. Bahuguna, who grew up in the Himalayas, connected the dots well. He wrote that deforestation led to erosion of fertile land and pushed the men out of the villages to look for jobs in cities. Over the years, Bahuguna, with his flowing beard and trademark bandana, went from strength to strength. College students and women joined him in great numbers. They staged peaceful demonstrations, hugged trees, and went on fasts. In 1992 he shaved his head and went on a fast to protest at the Tehri dam, India’s tallest. He was among those who lost their ancestral homes due to its construction. When former prime minister Indira Gandhi was asked about Bahuguna’s movement, she said: “Well, frankly, I don’t know all the aims of the movement. But if it is that trees should not be cut, I’m all for it.” To become energy secure in a “non-violent and permanent society”, he said, India needed to produce biogas from human waste, harvest solar and wind energy, and hydropower from the run of the river. Improve machines so they consume less energy, he suggested. Bahuguna was a charismatic ascetic, a spartan man of Gandhian principles. He lived in a small ashram, denounced violence, and was essentially non-political. He believed in self-reliance and not in “so much foreign trade”. He despised materialism. Unfortunately, India mourned his loss at the age of 94 this year on 21st May.
These people have shown us that no matter from what background you come from if you have the will to make an impact you can always achieve the feat. They are an inspiration and forerunner of the much-needed change that we as a society need to adapt to create a better world. They also tell us you don’t have to be a specific way to embrace nature. Nature lives within us, from tribal backgrounds to government councils. What you do need, is passion, awareness, and weakness in you to be an advocate for the very thing that continues to give us life.
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