Van Saheli: Forest Friends in Uttarakhand

Van Saheli: Forest Friends in Uttarakhand

KAKALI DAS

In the village of Manar, in the Champawat district of Uttarakhand, women used to spend a large part of their lives collecting water and firewood.

On average, they walked long distances with heavy loads on their heads for 6 to 8 hours, three times a week.

This added up to almost 800 hours every year, just for collecting firewood. As forests started to disappear and water became scarce, their struggle became even harder.

Over the past 20 years, Uttarakhand has lost more than 50,000 hectares of forest land due to various activities. As the forests shrank, the women of Manar had to walk further and further to collect essentials. But something inspiring happened in this small village. A group of women began a silent revolution to save their forest and change their lives.

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For the last 15 years, these women, known as Van Sahelis (meaning “forest friends”), have worked hard to bring 11.6 hectares of forest land back to life. Their work not only brought greenery and wildlife back, but also restored water sources. Most importantly, it saved them precious time.

At the center of this movement is a strong and determined woman in her 70s, known fondly as Van Amma (forest mother). She is both the president and the watchwoman of the forest. The villagers say, “The forest exists today because of Van Amma. Everyone respects her deeply and even fears her a little.”

The name Van Amma was given to her by people who care about her. She has dedicated her life to protecting the forest. She is both the president and the watchwoman of the area.

Uttarakhand is a state where more than 70% of the land is covered by forests. It is also known for having India’s oldest forest protection system, called Van Panchayats.

These panchayats help in planting trees, stopping forest fires, and preventing illegal hunting and land grabbing.

But in recent years, many changes have taken place in the state. The Champawat district also faced similar problems. By the early 2000s, the 12 hectares of forest land in the village of Manar were almost destroyed. The water sources had dried up, and the land had become dry and empty.

Seeing the poor condition of the forest, the women of the village decided to take action. Led by Bhagirathi Devi, they promised to bring the forest back to life by reviving the Van Panchayat.

In 2004 and 2005, Bhagirathi Devi went to every house in the village, asking people to join in the forest protection work.

“In the beginning, it was very hard. The land was completely dry and empty. But we started working to bring it back to life,” said Bhagirathi Devi. “We had to convince everyone to leave the land untouched for five years so it could recover. We all agreed to work together. We removed the weeds and later built small water catchments. Slowly, everyone joined in.”

Before that, the trees were small and people used to cut them carelessly. Anyone coming for firewood would cut down everything. But once the work to save the forest began, things started to change. They cleared weeds and harmful plants, and collected them in one place. They made sure nothing harmful was left in the forest.

Two people would cut the weeds, and others would carry them to a common area. Then, they built a small check dam and dug holes to plant trees. They also planted different types of grass. Over time, they got a lot of fresh grass from the forest and brought it home for their cows. Earlier, they didn’t get grass in October and November, but now they could collect it during those months too.

The forest women, known as Van Sahelis(forest friends), used tree branches to make fences around the forest. Later, they planted Pandanus and wild roses to protect the young plants and grass from animals. They also removed harmful plants like Lantana camara to help native grasses grow again.

Seeing the hard work of Van Amma and her team, an organization called BAIF Development Research Foundation came forward to help. The women didn’t have many resources to bring the forest back, and they needed money because the land was completely barren. BAIF worked with the villagers around 2004–2005.

At first, the villagers worked just for an hour or so each day. But when they teamed up with BAIF, things started to move faster.

The land had many harmful plants (invasive species), which made it hard to grow anything useful. BAIF helped by giving them broad-leaf plants like different types of oak, and local plants like Baaj (Oak) and Kaafal (Bayberry). They also gave technical support on how to plant and take care of them.

To help save water and soil, BAIF used special methods like trenching and contour bunding. These helped rainwater soak into the ground and stopped the soil from washing away. Slowly, this helped restore the land and rebuild a healthy forest.

After 10 years of hard work, 1.6 hectares of forest became self-sustaining. Now, the forest provides enough grass and fodder for the village.

Van Amma, who is in her 70s, has long served as both the head (sarpanch) of the Van Panchayat and the watchwoman of the forest. She notices everything and misses nothing. She worked very hard to bring the forest back.

In the past, people used to come and cut trees or let their animals graze freely. Women from nearby villages would sneak in at night, even at 8 PM, to steal firewood and grass. So, the villagers put a fine of ₹500 for trespassing. It took them 20 years to restore the forest to its earlier condition.

Along with helping nature, the forest also brought water back. Springs that were drying up began to flow again. From 2017 to 2021, water flow from three springs increased from 2.8 litres per minute to 4 litres per minute.

The forest now gives dry leaves, firewood, fodder for cows, and local plants like Baaj (oak), and even fresh Napier grass. Earlier, it took the women 5 to 6 hours to collect firewood and water. They had no time left for anything else.

Now, the forest is close and full of resources. Women finish their work in just an hour and have time to work on their farms, take care of their homes, and spend time with their children. They finally have time in their hands.

When they started this journey, there wasn’t even a drop of water. They had to bring water from far away. But now, the forest is full of life, and water is available nearby.

The story of Manar shows that forests can be protected and managed well when local people are involved. The Van Panchayat helped the villagers change their role, from just using forest resources to taking care of them.

This is also a powerful example of a women-led movement for the common good. Now that the forest is thriving, Bhagirathi Devi has handed over her role as sarpanch (head) to the younger generation.

Today, the younger Van Sahelis continue the work she started, carrying her vision forward with strength and care.

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