To mark International Women’s Day on Sunday, the Joshimath municipality organised a programme in the memory of Chipko movement activist Gaura Devi here. The Chief Minister Harish Rawat was slated to attend the event but could not do so due to inclement weather. Selected women were felicitated on the occasion for their contribution in the region.
Earlier, a rally was taken out through various localities of the town. The rally concluded at Gandhi ground where a programme was held to mark the occasion. Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, Gaura Devi’s friend Bali Devi recollected the times when the Chipko Movement had started from lata village in Chamoli district.
She recalled that when labourers were going to axe trees, Gaura Devi and others from the village hugged the trees to prevent them from being axed. Expressing her views on the occasion, the Joshimath municipal council chairperson Rohini Rawat said that historically women have taken the initiative to protect the mountains whenever there were disasters and other problems that threatened life in the State. Women of the State have played major roles in various public movements including those against alcoholism and those for conservation of the environment.