Today , 1 st July is the 51 st Death Anniversary of one of the chief founders of Garhwal University, today known as the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna central university , the architect of the separate Uttarakhand state the foundation of which was laid at Boat club during the seventies and the protector of Himalayan values, ecology and environment through his highly enthusiastic movement known as Himalaya Bachao Andolan Rishi Ballabh Sundriyal.
A relentless struggler since his childhood days, a hard core disciple, follower and colleague of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya, the founder of Socialist movement in the country and the Socialist party as well believing in equality social, political and economic vociferous Rishi Ballabh Sundriyal was also a strong protagonist of RSS who was immensely influenced by Balraj Madhok the founder of Jan Sangh.
His elder son Prem Sundriyal highly influenced by his father however was a socialist and leftist in ideology and thoughts who dedicated his entire life in trade union movements with the renowned Samajwadi leader Sanwal Das Gupta and others resolving the issues of the working class and the factory workers incessantly with his union office in Okhla.
Rishiballabh Sundriyal in whose name the government of Uttarakhand has named Choubattakhal Government Degree college as a mark of respect towards this great fighter was a highly impressive orator who has during the seventies organised a very impressive rally to demand not only Separate Uttarakhand State but also for freedom of Tibet and socio political and economic empowerment of the Pahadies who were completely neglected by the then Uttar Pradesh successive governments.
Late Rishi Ballabh Sundriyal was the mass leader of the socialist movement, demanding freedom of Tibet and Uttarakhand who dedicated his entire life for conserving the water, forests and lands of Uttarakhand.
He was the pioneer of the Save Himalaya movement, separate Uttarakhand state movement and also one of the leading movement leaders of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University which was established after a protracted struggle of several years.
Rishi Ballabh Sundriyal’s one of the basic and primary objectives was for Safe and prosperous Himalaya protecting its ecology, rivers and environment, as nd strong protagonist of Chipko movements chief activist Gaura Devi and eminent revolutionery and former MP Paripoornanand Painuli.
In true sense Rishiballabh Sundriyal dedicated his entire life for saving the Himalayas , its fragile ecology and environment, foundation of Garhwal Central University, laying the foundation stone for separate Uttarakhand state and above all to protect the dignity of the inhabitants of Uttarakhand by mobilising them to fight for separate Uttarakhand state the demand which finally fructified in the year 2000. Salutes to him.
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