For 10 Years, Poetry Fueled a People’s Protest to Save Kerala’s Silent Valley

14 April 2025

In the 1970s, a dam threatened to drown Kerala’s Silent Valley forever. But a decade-long battle, fought with passion, not technology -- changed everything.

Deep in Kerala’s Western Ghats, Silent Valley was a world of its own. With ancient trees, rare orchids, and the elusive lion-tailed macaque, it was a rainforest untouched for centuries.

Until, the Kerala Electricity Board proposed a massive hydroelectric dam. More power, they said. But at what cost? It would flood 8.3 sq km of this irreplaceable forest.

Experts like Romulus Whitaker & Steven Green sounded the warning. If the dam was built, Silent Valley’s delicate ecosystem would collapse. The lion-tailed macaque, already endangered, would vanish!

Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP), a group of scientists and writers, took the fight to the streets. Rallies, plays, public meetings, awareness spread like wildfire!

Poet Sugathakumari’s Marathinu Stuthi ("Ode to a Tree") moved thousands. “These trees are not mute, they are crying.” It became an emotional call to arms in the fight to save Silent Valley.

What began as a local movement in Kerala, spread across India. Students, villagers, conservationists, and journalists joined in -- the pressure on the government mounted.

In 1980, the project was finally paused. But ‘paused’ wasn’t enough. Activists pushed harder. Every delay meant Silent Valley lived another day.

After relentless protests, the government finally scrapped the project in 1983. Two years later, Silent Valley was declared a National Park. No dam, no destruction; a rainforest saved!

Think about it, there were no viral trends or digital petitions: just people writing letters, reciting poetry, and taking to the streets. And yet, they won. So what’s stopping us today?

Silent Valley stood because people spoke up. Now, nature needs you.. every tree, river, and wild space deserves a defender. Will you be that voice?