Charu Maa of Gundalba - An Unsung Hero and Environmental Activist

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Remember 29th October 1999! Most of today's kids and young adults can not visualize how disastrous was the coastal Odisha on this day. One of the worst cyclones in the history of Odisha had devasted the state. As per the government estimation, more than 10,000 people had died and a million domestic animals had perished on this day. 




One of the worst-hit villages on this day was Gundalba, a tiny seaside village in Puri District near Astaranga and the popular tourist destination Pir Jahania Beach. However, Gundalba unlike other villages did not witness mass human causalities thanks to the dense Causirina forest. The trees saved the life of the people of the village. 




Immediately after the cyclone, the women folks of Gundalba under the leadership of Charu Maa realized the importance of trees.  A grassroots revolution took up under the able leadership of Charu Maa. The group started protecting the forest in rotation and it is continued till now. 






As a part of Sarna's immersive travel programme, we take our traveller friends to Gundalba and introduce them to Charu Maa.  Here we showcase how vibrant the village life is in coastal Odisha and whereby the rural folks are working at the grassroots for climate change actions. They listen to the story of Charu Maa's journey. 



Watch here:




 

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