Andolan

Andolan is a word used in Hindi, Urdu, and related South Asian languages that means movement or agitation. In many contexts it labels an organized campaign aimed at political, social, environmental, or economic goals. When attached to a proper noun, andolan denotes a sustained social movement or collective action rather than a single protest.

The term derives from the word andol, meaning upheaval or tumult, and conveys collective action by communities, organizations, or coalitions. It is widely used in India and Nepal, and in Nepalese usage, similar formations are often described as jana andolan (people’s movement) to emphasize mass participation.

Movements named andolan can be peaceful protests, civil disobedience, mass mobilization, or advocacy campaigns. They may be led by non-governmental organizations, grassroots groups, labor unions, farmers, environmentalists, religious or political actors, and they can pursue a range of ideologies. The word itself does not prescribe a particular ideology; it simply denotes organized activism around a cause.

Notable examples include the Narmada Bachao Andolan, which began in the 1980s to oppose dam projects on the Narmada River; the Chipko Andolan of the early 1970s, a forest conservation movement in the Garhwal region; and Jana Andolan, the pro-democracy movements in Nepal in 1990 and 2006. These andolans have influenced policy, law, and public discourse by mobilizing broad sections of society around specific issues such as environmental protection, land rights, and democratic reforms.