Google doodle marks 45th anniversary of Chipko Movement

NEW DELHI: To mark the 45th anniversary of the famous Chipko Movement, search engine giant Google on Monday dedicated its doodle to the movement.

The doodle portrays a colorful design where a group of women are standing around a tree, representing their fight against deforestation which was the main objective of Chipko Movement.

The word Chipko means 'to stick' or 'to hug' and the name of the movement has been derived from these words.

Though the Chipko Movement dates back to 1730 AD when in khejarli village of Rajasthan, 363 people sacrificed their lives to save khejri trees. In modern India, the movement began in 1973.

Sunderlal Bahuguna, a renowned environmentalist took the initiative to protect the beautiful regional forests in Uttar Pradesh. Chipko Andolan was to preserve the nature from being mercilessly destroyed on accounts of setting up of factories or roads and constructing dams. Sundarlal Bahuguna was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2009.

One of Chipko's most salient features was the mass participation of female villagers.