Veteran environmentalist and the mind behind Chipko Movement, Sundarlal Bahuguna, has died on May 21, 2021, Press Trust of India reported. He had been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh Uttarakhand after testing positive for Covid-19. He was 94 years of age.
One of India’s acclaimed environmentalists, Bahuguna was admitted to the hospital on May 8 after testing positive for Covid. His condition turned critical last night, with his oxygen level dropping drastically. He was on CPAP therapy in the hospital’s ICU.
“Passing away of Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna Ji is a monumental loss for our nation. He manifested our centuries old ethos of living in harmony with nature. His simplicity and spirit of compassion will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with his family and many admirers. Om Shanti,” PM Modi tweeted.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat expressed sadness saying it was Mr Bahuguna who turned the Chipko movement into one of the masses.
Bahuguna was one of the prominent leaders of the Chipko movement, fighting for the preservation of forests in the Himalayas. Chipko means ‘embrace’ or ‘tree huggers’. This vast movement was a decentralised one with many leaders usually being women from villages.