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 sepiatoned 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
1. In the given passage, who has been described as an ‘exemplary activist who not just
criticises but shows alternatives’?
1. Ramachandra Guha
2. Anupam Mishra
3. Ruchi Shrivastava
4. Sumit Khanna
5. Chandi Prasad Bhatt
2. According to the given passage, what would have happened if the villagers had not
acted against the policy of the government?
1. The ecology of the jungle would have been severely affected.
2. The jungle would have lost its productivity.
3. The wild animals would have entered the village.
4. The jungle would have completely disappeared.
5. None of these.
3. According to the passage, what does the music in the background point up?
1. The love of the people towards nature.
2. The dedication of the people towards the conservation.
3. How firmly the conservation is attached to the region and its people.
4. The importance of conservation for the region and its people.
4. According to the given passage, what makes Bhatt different from the other activists?
1. His way of dealing with a situation or problem.
2. His unique approach of motivating the crowd.
3. His way of showing his protest 4. His intricate solutions to any problem
5. His appealing personality.
5. What solution had Bhatt suggested to the womenfolk travelling several miles to fetch
firewood and fodder?
1. To vacate their fields and barricade them for six months and grow fodder crops
there.
2. To fence the village periphery and do not disturb the same for a period of six
months.
3. To enclose a deserted place and leave it undisturbed for six months.
4. To barricade a pasture land near the village without disturbing it for six months
5. None of these
6. According to the given passage, what urged Bhatt to call for a protest?
1. Ousting of villagers from the village.
2. Double standards of the government towards the policies regarding the use of
forest.
3. Large scale deforestation.
4. Anti-farmer forest laws.
5. Chipko movement.
7. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the
word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Yeoman
1. Crackerjack
2. Proficient
3. Consummate
4. Assistant
5. Master
5. None of these.
8. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the
word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Enamoured
1. Stable
2. Rational
3. Prudent
4. Sane
5. Avid
9. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning of the
word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Ecstatic
1. Elated
2. Despaired
3. Thrilled
4. Rhapsodic
5. Euphoric
10. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning of the
word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Eulogising
1. Recognizing
2. Criticizing
3. Honoring
4. Exaltation
5. Uplifting
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 sepiatoned 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
1. In the given passage, who has been described as an ‘exemplary activist who not just
criticises but shows alternatives’?
1. Ramachandra Guha
2. Anupam Mishra
3. Ruchi Shrivastava
4. Sumit Khanna
5. Chandi Prasad Bhatt
2. According to the given passage, what would have happened if the villagers had not
acted against the policy of the government?
1. The ecology of the jungle would have been severely affected.
2. The jungle would have lost its productivity.
3. The wild animals would have entered the village.
4. The jungle would have completely disappeared.
5. None of these.
3. According to the passage, what does the music in the background point up?
1. The love of the people towards nature.
2. The dedication of the people towards the conservation.
3. How firmly the conservation is attached to the region and its people.
4. The importance of conservation for the region and its people.
4. According to the given passage, what makes Bhatt different from the other activists?
1. His way of dealing with a situation or problem.
2. His unique approach of motivating the crowd.
3. His way of showing his protest 4. His intricate solutions to any problem
5. His appealing personality.
5. What solution had Bhatt suggested to the womenfolk travelling several miles to fetch
firewood and fodder?
1. To vacate their fields and barricade them for six months and grow fodder crops
there.
2. To fence the village periphery and do not disturb the same for a period of six
months.
3. To enclose a deserted place and leave it undisturbed for six months.
4. To barricade a pasture land near the village without disturbing it for six months
5. None of these
6. According to the given passage, what urged Bhatt to call for a protest?
1. Ousting of villagers from the village.
2. Double standards of the government towards the policies regarding the use of
forest.
3. Large scale deforestation.
4. Anti-farmer forest laws.
5. Chipko movement.
7. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the
word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Yeoman
1. Crackerjack
2. Proficient
3. Consummate
4. Assistant
5. Master
5. None of these.
8. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the
word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Enamoured
1. Stable
2. Rational
3. Prudent
4. Sane
5. Avid
9. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning of the
word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Ecstatic
1. Elated
2. Despaired
3. Thrilled
4. Rhapsodic
5. Euphoric
10. Choose the word/group of words which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning of the
word/group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Eulogising
1. Recognizing
2. Criticizing
3. Honoring
4. Exaltation
5. Uplifting
Comments
Post a Comment