Maiti Movement of Uttarakhand :

Maiti movement now a global movement to save nature. Planting a tree on the occasion of a wedding, the mountain villages of Uttarakhand have shown how to celebrate a happy occasion and protect the earth. It was a symbolic gesture as the sapling would grow into a big tree and become useful to all, thus expressing the girl’s gratitude to her parents and to the land where she was born. This tree plantation initiative, called the Maiti Andolan, has established itself as a workable solution for environmental protection as well as promoting the welfare of girls.

About the Movement:

Maiti is derived from the term ‘mait’ which in Uttarakhand means married woman’s parental home. And this movement does not cost any money, but to plant a sapling by a newlywed girl while she leaves her home on the day of marriage. The groom gives some money to bride’s parents for the care of the plant as it is the memory of their daughter. The money received by the groom is not only utilized for the purpose of up-keeping the sapling but is also used for taking care of the needs of underprivileged girls of the village.

The preparation for the event of plantation started once a marriage is fixed. The whole responsibility falls on the shoulder of Maiti didi-s. They are unmarried girls of the village. They decide which plant is suitable for particular weather and soil conditions, make arrangement for that and take proper care of the plant after marriage. If it gets dry and dies they replace it with another plant.

A vision of Kalyan Singh Rawat, now 60-years old, was a teacher then at the Government Inter College. He started this movement in 1995 in Gwaldam hamlet in Chamoli district of Garhwal. This movement is not limited to weddings anymore. It is also noteworthy that post-Kargil War, women of Ochati village developed a Maiti forest in collaboration with the Border Security Force to dedicate it to soldiers. This forest is known as Shaurya Van (Gallantry Forest). Even students of Garhwal University and citizens plant saplings on special occasions. On 50th Independence anniversary of India, each village planted 50 plants in Uttarakhand.

As per him, the movement is called Maiti because ‘Women are more active and energetic than men and are very emotionally connected to their parental home’. This is the biggest afforestation movement in the country after Sundar Lal Bahugana’s Chipko Andolan and by now they have already planted over one lakhs trees in Uttarakhand only.

Achievements:

And today, after 20 years of this movement there are over 6,000 villages in 18 states of India including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, and Kerala. This movement has received international recognition from former Foreign Minister of Canada, Flora Donald also and introduced in countries like US, UK, Canada, Nepal, Indonesia and Thailand. “In hilly areas, women are forced to walk miles in search of grass, wood and drinking water. The destruction of forests could not be prevented in hills without active participation of women.”

A movement which started as eco-women centric in a small village is spreading its wing across not only in India but all over the world. The message of this movement is very simple: ‘For every happy occasion, plant a tree for a beautiful memory’.

A Global Movement :

From its humble beginning in 1995, the Maiti movement soon spread to other Indian states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat and today it is observed in 18 Indian states.The movement has also crossed the national boundaries by establishing itself in countries like Canada, UK, Nepal and Indonesia.It is already a law in Indonesia that a man has to plant a tree before marriage.

Taking inspiration from their brothers and sisters at home, the vast population of Indians settled aboard have also taken up the ritual of planting a tree on a wedding very seriously. More than a lakh trees have been planted so far since the beginning of the Maiti movement while Maiti forests have come up in many regions of the Himalayas.The movement has generated a lot of public awareness and tree planting is now done not only during weddings but on other occasions as well.For instance, to mark India’s 50th year of Independence, each village in Uttarakhand had planted 50 trees.

In memory of the Kargil martyrs, villagers in collaboration with the Border Security Force had planted 1,000 trees in the district that has become an impressive forest known as Shaurya Van (Gallantry Forest ).

In order to honour persons, organisations and agencies working in the field of environmental preservation, an award called the Maiti Samman has been instituted and more than two dozen people have been conferred with the award so far.

The Maiti group was again in the forefront when Asia’s tallest chir (pine) tree, situated in the Tons valley of Uttarkashi district, was uprooted.

 Young girls in the villages are an integral part of this movement. We handle the Maiti fund and take good care of the saplings planted by newly married couples. They are called the Maiti sisters and one among them is appointed as the head of the girls’ group.

The number of saplings planted may not be huge, but the intent of planting them and subsequently tending to them has been an enormous success. And all this has happened without any government support or external donations.