Giving Compass' Take:
- Aakriti Thatal tells the story of the two-decade-long movement behind the recent marches in Sikkim and West Bengal to oppose hydropower projects on the Teesta River in India.
- What actions might donors take to support the communities organizing to protect the Teesta River, important for both its role in the local ecosystem and community folklore and cosmology?
- Ask a custom question to find other nonprofits focused on protecting river ecosystems.
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‘Aachulay!’ (Life, its whole cycle in this world, and beyond, where lie the ancestors) is an interjection of praise in Róng, the Lepcha language. People shout it out on occasions of births and weddings, and even to symbolise protest.
On July 26, 2026, when I met the marching group near Tarkhola, I was greeted with a sonorous ‘Aachulay!’ This time it meant resistance and dissent. On foot were a total of 19 participants from the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT, a community-led movement originating from Dzongu, a dense forest mountain region in North Sikkim). They had gathered for a four-day long march from North Sikkim to West Bengal to draw attention to the need for saving the Teesta, the largest river in Sikkim, from the adverse effects of the hydroelectric power projects (HEPs) in the state. A few members of the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Communities (SIBLAC), a regional political party, and individuals like myself had joined the march in solidarity with ACT, supporting their cause and amplifying their demands. Besides the resounding chant, I spotted multiple slogans that the group carried with them: ‘Flooded Future’, ‘Our Rivers, Our Responsibility’, ‘Every Tunnel Leaves a Wound’, ‘Rivers for Life, Free Flowing Rivers’, ‘You are the Guardians of the Rivers!’, ‘Is There Light at the End of this Tunnel?’, ‘Let Our Teesta Flow Freely’, and so on.
The Roots of the March
What grabbed my attention immediately was a flag with the image of a bird and two blocks of text. I approached the girl who was hoisting it and asked her what it meant. I learned that out of the three horizontal stripes on the flag, the two blood red–coloured ones represented life and the strength it requires to live; the white in the centre stood for peace; and the bird in the middle was Kohom-Fo (the hill partridge; a deity that had taken the form of a bird). In the background stood Mount Khangchendzonga, and on the sides of the circle that housed these elements were two paddy straws. The text on top, ‘Mootunchyee’, loosely translates to ‘mother’s loved ones’, while the one below read ‘Aachulay!’
Read the full article about organizing to protect the Teesta River by Aakriti Thatal at India Development Review.