WOMEN AS VANGUARD OF ENVIRONMENT: A STUDY OF JAMUNA TUDU

Abstract

Popularised in the early 1970s, discourse on the promotion and the protection of the environment, and the safeguard of mother earth is still a matter of serious concern for humanity. Throughout the world, politics of economic dominance and the struggle for power among nations are entangled with issues of environmental protection. Nations are withdrawing from acting on their commitment to environmental protection due to their self-interest. Hence, the objectives of the international community adopted in various conferences and conventions to restrict global average temperature well below 2ºC (preferably to 1.5ºC) above pre-industrial levels look like a distant dream. In the midst of such a crisis, the role of women in the promotion and protection of environment is worth mentioning. Numbers of conventions including the Beijing Platform for Action noted the role of women in sustainable development patterns and the need for participation in environmental decision makings. Agenda 21 (adopted in UNCED, 1992), emphasized global action for women towards sustainable development. This paper tries to study the involvement of women in the promotion and protection of the environment and thereby safeguarding mother earth. This paper also explores the efforts of Padma Shri Jamina Tudu, popularly known as Lady Tarzan, for the protection of environment in the state of Jharkhand.

Keywords: Environment, Sustainable Development, women, Jamuna Tudu