Look at this picture showing some women from the Chipko movement (1973), spearheaded by Gaura Devi. What do you think the women are doing here? Say two lines about the picture in class.

Have you heard of the term 'eco-warrior'? Look at these images with suggestions on how you can be an eco-warrior. Form groups of six, with each group taking up one of the points. Write a few sentences on the chosen idea and then share your thoughts with the other groups.

Trees are sacred my grandmother used to say/Felling them is a crime but he massacred them all

1. Who is the speaker in these lines? Who is the person referred to as 'he'?
2. Name the trees that were cut down. Why are 'his' actions referred to as a 'crime'?
3. What else had this person done?
4. What do you conclude about the speaker's feelings from the lines?

My father ordered it to be removed

1. What does the word 'it' refer to? Describe it in your own words.
2. What is 'it' compared to? Explain the figure of speech used here in your own words.
3. How was it removed?
4. What happened when it began to be 'removed'?

We watched in terror and fascination this slaughter

1. Why did the speaker experience the opposing feelings of 'terror' and 'fascination'?
2. What did the 'slaughter' reveal?
3. Why is the slaughter referred to as 'raw mythology'?
4. Which other word in the poem, apart from 'mythology', suggests the special nature of the banyan tree?