In the early 1990's I wrote this song after reading about Guara Devi and the other brave women who stood up to loggers who had come to cut down forests nearby their town. The Chipko movement went on to spread across India and around the world.
Here's what Wikipedia says about the day when the villagers hugged the trees and saved their forest: Gaura Devi came to notice in 1974 when she was told by a young girl that local loggers were cutting the trees on 25 March. The men of Reni village had been tricked out of the village by news that the government was going to pay out compensation for land used by the army. And, on this situation, Gaura Devi and 27 other women decided to tackle the loggers. She confronted and challenged the men to shoot her instead of cutting down the trees and she described the forest as "Vandevta" (God of Jungle) and her maika (mother's house). Finally, with the help of other women they managed to halt the work of loggers by hugging the trees despite the abuse and threats of the armed loggers. The women of village and Gaura Devi kept guard of the trees that night and over the next three or four days other villages and villagers joined the action. The loggers left leaving the trees. After this incident, the Uttar Pradesh Government established a committee of experts to investigate the issue of felling of trees, and the lumber company withdrew its men from Reni. The committee stated that the Reni forest was an ecologically sensitive area and that no trees should be felled there. Thereafter the government of Uttar Pradesh placed a 10-year ban on all tree-felling in an area of over 1150 km
Chipko Andolan
© K Hannan 1991
In the town of Gopeshwar, in the north of India
The lumber company came, came to cut the forest down
When word got around, the people of the town, called a meeting right away
They said we will go, put our arms around the trees
They will not take these trees today
Chorus
Chipko Andolan
Don't cut this forest down
Living trees give us clean water and air
Living roots grow deep in the hills
And hold the soil there
Living roots grow deep in the hills
And hold the soil there
The lumber company men had brought with them a gun
They aimed it at the crowd, tried to frighten everyone
They said, "Foolish people, you do not understand
All the money that this forest will bring."
The people were scared, but they held on to the trees
And all together they began to sing
Chorus
One of the women there, very brave and very wise (Guara Devi)
She stepped up to the gun, she had fire in her eyes
She said, "You may call us fools, but we live upon this land
And we know what a forest is worth
And when your money's gone, these trees will still live on
Reaching up into the sky and down into the earth
Reaching up into the sky and down into the earth
Chorus
Here's what Wikipedia says about the day when the villagers hugged the trees and saved their forest: Gaura Devi came to notice in 1974 when she was told by a young girl that local loggers were cutting the trees on 25 March. The men of Reni village had been tricked out of the village by news that the government was going to pay out compensation for land used by the army. And, on this situation, Gaura Devi and 27 other women decided to tackle the loggers. She confronted and challenged the men to shoot her instead of cutting down the trees and she described the forest as "Vandevta" (God of Jungle) and her maika (mother's house). Finally, with the help of other women they managed to halt the work of loggers by hugging the trees despite the abuse and threats of the armed loggers. The women of village and Gaura Devi kept guard of the trees that night and over the next three or four days other villages and villagers joined the action. The loggers left leaving the trees. After this incident, the Uttar Pradesh Government established a committee of experts to investigate the issue of felling of trees, and the lumber company withdrew its men from Reni. The committee stated that the Reni forest was an ecologically sensitive area and that no trees should be felled there. Thereafter the government of Uttar Pradesh placed a 10-year ban on all tree-felling in an area of over 1150 km
Chipko Andolan
© K Hannan 1991
In the town of Gopeshwar, in the north of India
The lumber company came, came to cut the forest down
When word got around, the people of the town, called a meeting right away
They said we will go, put our arms around the trees
They will not take these trees today
Chorus
Chipko Andolan
Don't cut this forest down
Living trees give us clean water and air
Living roots grow deep in the hills
And hold the soil there
Living roots grow deep in the hills
And hold the soil there
The lumber company men had brought with them a gun
They aimed it at the crowd, tried to frighten everyone
They said, "Foolish people, you do not understand
All the money that this forest will bring."
The people were scared, but they held on to the trees
And all together they began to sing
Chorus
One of the women there, very brave and very wise (Guara Devi)
She stepped up to the gun, she had fire in her eyes
She said, "You may call us fools, but we live upon this land
And we know what a forest is worth
And when your money's gone, these trees will still live on
Reaching up into the sky and down into the earth
Reaching up into the sky and down into the earth
Chorus
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