The Chipko Movement was a significant non-violent environmental movement in post-Gandhian India that exemplified grassroots activism and community participation in protecting natural resources. Emerging in the early 1970s in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand (then part of Uttar Pradesh), the movement was primarily aimed at preventing the indiscriminate felling of trees by commercial loggers and raising awareness about the ecological consequences of deforestation. Rooted in Gandhian principles of non-violence and civil disobedience, the Chipko Movement became a symbol of environmental justice and community-led conservation efforts. The term “Chipko” means “to hug” in Hindi, and the movement derived its name from the unique method adopted by villagers, particularly women, who physically embraced trees to prevent them from being cut down. This act of hugging trees was not merely symbolic but served as a