The movement originated in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand (then part of Uttar Pradesh) in 1973 and quickly spread throughout the Indian Himalayas. The Hindi word chipko means “to hug” or “to cling to” and reflects the demonstrators' primary tactic of embracing trees to impede loggers.

1. The first Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India was Dr. Homi Jahangir Bhabha. He is considered the father of India's nuclear energy program. He laid a strong foundation for the peaceful use of nuclear energy in India.

2. Dr. Bhabha was born on October 30, 1909 in Mumbai, India. He received his doctorate in physics from the University of Cambridge. He established the Atomic Energy Commission of India in 1948 and remained its Chairman until his death in 1966.