Bhai was crucial in bringing institutional changes in environmentalism in India
India lost one of its greatest heroes, renowned environmentalist and social reformer Vimal Bhai, while celebrating its 75th Independence Day. Bhai took his last breath at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi at the age of 60 on August 15, 2022, battling multiple organ failures and tuberculosis.
A strict follower of Gandhian philosophy, he was one of the strongest pillars of India’s environmental and social movements. He spearheaded several influential people’s movements against big developmental projects in his four-decade-long journey as an activist.
But Bhai was more than just that. He contributed to establishing hundreds of environmental movements and organisations, trained thousands of activists and left behind a long legacy on the environmental laws in India.
He was the countrywide coordinator of National Alliance for People’s Movement (NAPM), an active member of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and was the convenor of Uttarakhand-based Matu Jansangathan. .
NAPM is an umbrella organisation for progressive movements, NBA was a social movement against dams on river Narmada, while Matu Jansangathan works for people affected by the Tehri dam.
Bhai was a genuine person devoted to the service of the people and environment, said Sanjay Parikh, one of Bhai’s closest friends. Parikh is also a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India.
“His contribution to environmental jurisprudence is unparalleled. He was remarkable at mobilising people, organising protests, and holding institutions and authorities accountable,” said Parikh.
Bhai highlighted the institutional concerns and functioning of the National Environment Appellate Authority in Delhi High Court, the advocate added. This reached the SC, forcing the government to bring the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act and take steps for the effective functioning of NGT benches around the nation.
The environmentalist was best known for his unique style of activism. He was one of the strongest voices for the people of Uttarakhand people gravely affected by big dams. He was involved in most of the cases challenging environmental and forest clearances of large dams like Vishnuprayag, Vishnugad Pipalkoti, Srinagar dam, to name a few.
Bhai mobilised villagers to organise and fight the legal battle for compensation from dam companies after the devastating floods of Uttarakhand in 2013. In one such case by Srinagar Bandh Apda Sangharsh Samiti, NGT directed for grant of compensation to the flood victims who suffered damage due to mismanagement of muck by the dam company.
Bhai’s career as an activist started early at the age of 22. He was born in Delhi and completed his undergraduate studies at PGDAV College, University of Delhi. He was always interested in liberal arts and loved theatre and poetry.
He met Bina Handa at Gandhi Hindustani Sahitya Sabha (Sannidhi) in New Delhi, who introduced him to Gandhian philosophy at age 20. Handa taught him to spin a charkha, a practice he followed for his entire life.
Gandhi deeply impacted Bhai’s life, said his close friend MJ Vijayan from Delhi Forum. “He did not just follow the Gandhian philosophy but also practised it in his day-to-day life,” Vijayan said.
Bhai met the leader of Chipko Andolan, Sunderlal Bahuguna, during his work at Sannidhi. He devoted himself to the Anti-Tehri Dam Movement and coordinated all the groundwork under Bahuguna.
He met Medha Patekar from the Narmada Bachao Andolan and Father Thomas Kocherry during this time — two doyens of social movements in India, which helped him grow as an activist and learn the art of policy advocacy.
He later established Matu Jansangathan (Matu: soil, Jansangathan: people’s union), a people’s movement to protect the Himalayan ecosystem in Uttarakhand from ill-conceived big developmental projects.
When Bahuguna fell ill, Bhai continued working for dams that affected people in Tehri and other parts of Uttarakhand through Matu Jansangathan. However, his work was not limited to it. Till his death, he was an active member of both NBA and NAPM.
His activism was unique and process-oriented, said his close aide and NAPM member Madhuresh Kumar. “Bhai was blessed with a rare fighting spirit against the system. He was exceptional at research and adopting modern technology to support green causes,” Kumar said.
Formal qualifications were not important for activism, according to Bhai, Kumar added. Any person who could read and write was a potential social worker for him. “He was a very grounded person and believed that even the smallest of work or effort could leave a strong impact,” he further said.
Bhai changed his views on dams, said Bharat Jhunjhunwala, a reputed environmentalist from Tehri. Jhunjhunwala’s petition to Supreme Court imposed a moratorium on any new dams on River Ganga in August 2013.
“Bhai changed my perspective towards the Kotli Bhel Hydro Electric Project proposed on River Bhagirathi. He was instrumental in bringing me to the river’s movement and transforming me as an activist,” he said. Jhunjhunwala and Bhai worked together on many cases related to Uttarakhand rivers.
Bhai really motivated me as an activist, said Manoj Misra, a convenor of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, which the activist founded.
The environmentalist was mainly recognised for his humungous work on the rights of rivers and river-dependent people, but he was equally concerned with all injustice. He lived in Faridabad for the past few years and was fondly known as Vimal kaka. During the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, he immersed himself in people’s welfare and arranged food and medicines for them.
In the last couple of years, he relentlessly worked for the welfare and proper rehabilitation of people displaced from Khori village. He also identified as a member of the LGBTQ community and organised several rallies and protests for their causes.
His work was profoundly serious and his execution of social work was aggressive, but he was emotional, caring and always smiling. He would never miss a chance to pull people’s legs or joke to lighten the atmosphere during work.
He would treat everyone equal and give them a special place in his life and was a believer in collective humanity. His doors were always open for any activist to visit or stay and he wouldn’t turn away anyone even at the eleventh hour.
He would wear only khadi clothes stitched by himself, had very minimal material possession and would cook for all his guests at his house.
He never registered a formal organisation or even thought about using his accomplishment to raise funds or use it for his aspirations. He sacrificed his life and devoted himself entirely to improving people’s lives and the environment.
Bhai never received any accolades in his lifetime, just like his idol Gandhi. However, he has left behind his activism in a cadre of environmentalists, lawyers and organisations. His body of work will be an inspiration for generations to come.
Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth
Debadityo Sinha is an ecologist working on conservation policies.
Originally published on Down To Earth on 18th August 2022