Udhagamandalam: Nilgiris remembered the run that heralded eco-movement in the hill district. Three decades ago, an awareness run for more than 10km from the town was meant to rouse the public opinion to the fast degrading environment and
ecology of the Nilgiris. The Save Nilgiris Run, participated by over 5,000 volunteers and organised by the Save Nilgiris Campaign (SNC) from the Hindustan Photo Films gate to the HADP ground in Ooty on May 18, 1988, was considered as first of its kind in the country then.
“They were all there. Men and women, young and aged, rich and poor. More than 5,000 of them. Most of them had come in groups - Anglo Indian Association, Magalir Mandram, bank staff, village youth clubs, public schools, government schools, industrial schools, college students, sports clubs, chamber of commerce, hoteliers association and even cine stars fan clubs,” recalled C Krishnan, who took part in the run 30 years ago. He added, “That was the starting of eco-movement in the Nilgiris.”
“Each group carried its own banner, placard with ‘save Nilgiris’ message. They had come from all parts of the Nilgiris. A strong contingent of 50 boys and girls had also come from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The runners were provided with T-shirts with the message of save Nilgiris,” said Dharmalingam Venugopal, who had organised the run under the banner SNC.
“The run almost came to be scrapped at the last moment when a Tamil extremist outfit threw a country bomb inside the Government Botanical Garden (GBG), close to the venue of the meeting. However, then governor P C Alexander, who was to address the runners and who was staying at the Raj Bhavan inside the GBG, told the organisers that the run must go on,” recalled Venugopal.
SNC presented an appeal to the governor on behalf of the children of the mountains to save the Nilgiris from degradation.
Alexander, while conceding that the damage to the Nilgiris’ environment and ecology was of a serious nature, felt that the Nilgiris could still be saved. The governor sought the cooperation of the public and the tourists and concluded his speech by saying, “Nilgiris should be saved and Nilgiris will be saved.”
Stating that Nilgiri is a source of economic prosperity of the plains of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, Sunderlal Bahuguna, the leader of the Chipko Movement, who was then undergoing treatment in Coimbatore said in a message to the runners, “I hope the hill people will become a source of inspiration to all those who are striving to re-establish the long lost harmonious relationship between man and nature.”
And the eco-movement still continues in the Nilgiris.