Noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna passed away today (21 May, 2021) due to COVID-19 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh.
Bahuguna, 94, who as conferred with the Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to environmental protection, was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 for over a week now. He was admitted to the hospital on 8 May after testing positive for the 2019 SARS coronavirus.
He had been critical since last night as his oxygen level was dropping consistently. Bahuguna breathed his last at 12.05 pm in Uttarakhand this afternoon, AIIMS Director Ravikant said.
Paying tribute to the environmentalist credited for the success of the Chipko Movement, President Ram Nath Kovind took to Twitter saying that Bahuguna’s departure marks the end of a glorious chapter in the field of conservation.
The demise of Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna marks the end of a glorious chapter in the field of conservation. A 'Padma Vibhushan' awardee, he was a Gandhian to the core. A legend in his own right, he made conservation a people's movement. My condolences to his family and admirers.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 21, 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed Bahuguna’s passing away a massive loss for the country. Modi further hailed the Padma Vibhushan’s simplicity and spirit of compassion that, he said, will never be forgotten.
Passing away of Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna Ji is a monumental loss for our nation. He manifested our centuries old ethos of living in harmony with nature. His simplicity and spirit of compassion will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with his family and many admirers. Om Shanti.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 21, 2021
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat expressed grief and described Bahuguna’s demise as a big loss not just to the state, the country but to the entire world.
“It was he who made the Chipko movement a movement of the masses,” Rawat said.
His death has created a void in the field of environment conservation that can never be filled again, the chief minister added.
चिपको आंदोलन के प्रणेता, विश्व में वृक्षमित्र के नाम से प्रसिद्ध महान पर्यावरणविद् पद्म विभूषण श्री सुंदरलाल बहुगुणा जी के निधन का अत्यंत पीड़ादायक समाचार मिला। यह खबर सुनकर मन बेहद व्यथित हैं। यह सिर्फ उत्तराखंड के लिए नहीं बल्कि संपूर्ण देश के लिए अपूरणीय क्षति है। pic.twitter.com/j85HWCs80k
— Tirath Singh Rawat (@TIRATHSRAWAT) May 21, 2021
Born on 9 January, 1927, Bahuguna is known for his revolutionary role in the Chipko Movement which was a non-violent agitation in 1973. It was aimed towards the protection and conservation of trees, but it will always be remembered for the collective mobilisation of women in preserving the forest. This movement was launched along with other community and environmental leaders to save the region’s forests.
During the later part of his life, Bahuguna was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan and many other laurels to his name for his ever-growing pioneering work in the field of environment protection.