Theory and Discourse
Environmental Activism in Pune | Santosh Shintre
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| The people of Pune are becoming more aware now than ever of their environment and are leaving no stone unturned in their bid to protect it. With a lot of groups and individuals taking a stand, the city now sees individual activists and groups supporting environmental causes and protesting against uncontrolled development that is detrimental to the environment. |
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The Penguin dictionary defines the word activism, as 'a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous or militant action e.g. use of mass demonstrations, in support of or opposition to a controversial especially political cause.'
The environmental movement in India represents a wide spectrum of social conflicts over dwindling natural resources. The prolific number of voluntary groups working within the environmental movement are mainly concerned with activities that destroy the environment and impoverish local communities - large dams on rivers, mining in the hills, mechanized fishing in coastal regions or commercial agriculture or destruction of forests. However, this vibrant environmental movement is still more of a defensive initiative. It has not questioned the larger socio-political processes responsible for ecological deterioration and has failed to contribute to major debates on development policy. This is reflected in Pune's environmental movement too.
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