The National Forest Martyrs Day is annually observed across India on 11th September to remember, and honour people who sacrificed their lives to protect forests and Wildlife in India that are important for the well-being of the planet.
- The day is also observed as an annual commemoration of the Khejarli massacre in 1730.
Background:
i.In 2013, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India (GoI) officially declared the 11th of September of every year as National Forest Martyrs Day.
- The day is observed to recognise the infamous Khejarli Massacre of 1730 took place in Khejarli, Rajasthan.
ii.Since 2013, September 11th has been an annual commemoration of the Khejarli massacre known as National Forest Martyrs Day.
About Khejarli Masaacre:
i.In 1730, under the order of Abhay Singh, the Maharaja of Marwar (Jodhpur, Rajasthan), a royal party led by Minister Giridhar Bhandari went to the Khejarli village of Rajasthan to cut down the Khejarli trees for wood.
ii.However, the people of the Bishnoi Community were against this order. Over 360 people of the Bishnoi tribe led by Amrita Devi Bishnoi and her daughters, objected to the felling of trees.
iii.They protested to save the trees and this led to the massacre of more than 360 Bishnois, along with Amrita Devi Bishnoi and her daughters, who all volunteered to save the trees.
Khejri Tree:
i.The Khejri tree (Prosopis cineraria) holds a historic significance in the Bishnoi community and culture, recognizing its significance in their survival, and their beliefs prohibit the harming of trees and animals.
ii.It is the most dominant tree in western Rajasthan. Khejri, “Pride of the desert” or “Kalpvriksha of Thar” was declared the State tree of Rajasthan in 1982-83.
iii.As the Khejri tree has been traditionally protected by the Bishnois of Rajasthan, for the remarkable phenomenon in the field of conservation, both of vegetation and soil.
iv.The Department of Posts under the Ministry of Communication released a Commemorative type stamp on the occasion of World Environment Day on 5th June 1988, and the Khejri tree was used as the theme of the stamp.
Kherjri Massacre, an inspiration to Chipko Movement:
i.The 1730 Khejri massacre became the inspiration behind the Chipko Movement, which can be essentially called a Women’s movement.
- The first Chipko movement occurred near the village of Mandal in Uttar Pradesh in 1973 and was led by Chandi Prasad Bhatt, an environmentalist and Gandhian social activist and the founder of the cooperative organisation Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh.
ii.Chipko (“to hug” in Hindi) movement is a non-violent demonstration aiming to protect India’s forests and other natural resources in the Himalayan region.
iii.The demonstrators hugged trees to save them from being cut down, giving the movement the name “chipko”
2023 Events:
To commemorate the foresters, who had laid down their lives to protect forests and wildlife, National Forest Martyrs Day was observed on 11th September, 2023 at Forester Memorial, Brandis Road, Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun campus in Uttarakhand.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC):
Union Minister– Bhupender Yadav (Rajya Sabha- Rajasthan)
Minister of State– Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Constituency- Buxar, Bihar)
