Sunderlal Bahuguna
<p>Sunderlal Bahuguna was a Gandhian environmentalist closely associated with the Chipko movement and the battle against the Tehri Dam. In '<a href="https://www.sanctuarynaturefoundation.org/article/the-lure-of-the-mountains">The Lure of the Mountains</a>' (<em>Sanctuary Asia, </em>Vol. 18, No. 4, August 1998), he wrote:</p>
<p>“Trees are the sentinels of the Himalaya. Trees do not only increase the scenic beauty, but hold soil and water and deliver life-sustaining oxygen. To us, the mountains live. The Chipko movement has, therefore, challenged the short-term objectives of commercial forestry as being anti-people. If you ask the Forest Departments what the forests bear, they will reply, ‘Resin, timber and foreign exchange.’ If you ask a true <em>pahadi </em>what the forests bear, he will reply, ‘soil, water and pure air’ – the absolute basics of life.” </p>
<p><em>Image: Sanctuary Photo Library</em></p>
