Describing him as an “exemplary activist who not just criticises but shows alternatives,” noted historian and author, Ramachandra Guha, finds his personality, simplicity and life appealing. Sunita Narain, Director-General of Centre for Science and Environment, refers to his movement concerning people and trees key to development and one that shook the soul of India. Historian Anupam Mishra, attributes to him the genesis of an idea which transcended barriers of language and boundaries. All these encomiums are directed towards Chandi Prasad Bhatt, the activist who started an environment movement of, by and for the people.
Bringing Bhatt and his yeoman contribution to the environment movement to the centrestage is this year’s winner of 63rd National Award in the Best Environment Film including Agriculture in the non-feature category “The Man Who Dwarfed The Mountains”. Directed by Ruchi Shrivastava and Sumit Khanna, it zeroes on one of the pioneers of the Chipko Movement while highlighting not just Bhatt’s fight for protecting forests and environment but also his struggle to safeguard and renew livelihoods.
From the opening frame, the documentary establishes the relevance of Bhatt and his philosophy in today’s context. Showing the havoc caused by the 2013 Uttarakhand floods which swept away houses, farms and people, the audience are reminded of the devastation while being informed that Bhatt had cautioned about this disaster way back in 2009 in his article in a Hindi newspaper. Sumit explains that Bhatt’s warning was based on observation and scientific logic as he surmised that the construction of too many dams and roads without proper measures and checks to take care of sudden rainfall coupled with soil erosion due to rapid forest degradation are bound to play up. “Unfortunately, enamoured as we all are with growth these aspects are hardly taken cognisance of,” comments Sumit.
The documentary seamlessly moves back and forth in time to map the birth of the Chipko Movement, the role played by Bhatt and his associates and its effect on the forest policy and government. Using several black and white and sepia-toned pictures, the directors take the audience through the past juxtaposing the sequence with apt comments by those who have watched Bhatt and the movement closely for many years. At the same time, the folk songs and music in the background emphasise how the conservation is deeply embedded in the character of the region and its people.
Interestingly, the Chipko Movement came into being when government sanctioned cutting of ash trees for making badminton and tennis courts while forbidding the same for farmers to make yoke. Stung by this gross disparity, Bhatt gave a call to the villagers to gather in the forest and embrace the trees to ensure they are not cut. Walking down those forests, Bhupal Singh Negi recollects how the group inspired by Bhatt camped there for a month to protect the trees while planting new saplings. “If we had not acted then, this jungle would have not been there at all today,” he observes.
The film brings out different facets of Bhatt’s character subtly without eulogising him. We realise that unlike many activists, he stands out for his Gandhian approach towards problem as he combines struggle and constructive work in the field of environment and sustainable development. Thus he makes a logical case for allowing those dependent on forests to safeguard and protect it. Similarly, the solutions he offers are very much Gandhian –– simple and grounded. When confronted with the womenfolk travelling several miles to fetch firewood and fodder, Bhatt suggested them barricading a vacant plot near the village without disturbing it for six months. After the waiting period, the plot yielded fodder, green leaves and firewood making villagers decide to adopt this technique without disturbing the forest land.
Deeply impressed by the Sarvodaya movement, Bhatt practises what he preaches. We get to see his farm yielding not just crops, vegetables and fruits but also sustaining bee keeping and fishing thus advocating sustainable development for halting migration. Sumit reasons that adopting this model will halt rural-urban flow thereby reducing pressure on cities to a very large extent.
When asked how valid is the film on Bhatt and his movement considering that much has changed in terms of aspirations and needs of the people, Sumit feels both continue to be relevant. “Considering climate fluctuations, global warming and higher incidence of floods, landslides, droughts and other natural calamities, it is all the more important for the people to assert their right to decide what they want to do and how. It is imperative to decide on moot questions about who the resources are for and who will benefit from it? ” The 2013 disaster, he feels, certainly made more city dwellers realise the threats faced by the hill people since many of those affected hailed from metro cities.
Both the directors are ecstatic at winning the National Award and hope that the honour will get the film a wider reach and help spread the relevance of Bhatt and his message to a wider spectrum of people.