Jarjum Ete – Emeritus president: Founding President, conferred the Emeritus President status in 2nd National Conference of the Union in 2021, hails from the Arunachal Pradesh and is an active political activist taking up peoples’ voices of concern; with forests, environment being one of her focus agenda. She is a source of inspiration to the community based struggles to reclaim our rights of custodianship over all natural resources.

Sukalo Gond – President. A so called “illiterate” woman from Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. An organic leader, who rose from the ranks through the power of her struggles, her leadership, her unwavering determination in the face of all odds – incarceration and attacks being a part of her life while she was building herself up for over a decade of dedicated community work between 2009 – 2019, by which time her ability to envision the larger frame despite being engulfed in local struggles, made her the unanimous choice to be chosen the President of the Union in 2021 at the 2nd National Conference, succeeding Jarjum.

Ashok Chowdhury – Working President. Mentor, ideologue, a forty year old association with community struggles to reclaim their rights over Forests, forming local organizations, leading them to victories, known across the world for his fierce commitment to women led natural resource based journey to reclaim their rights of custodianship of Mother Nature towards constructing a new world.

Roma – General Secretary. A powerful leader who left the possibilities of a safe , cosy urban life to give her life and times to developing forest dependent indigenous and other traditional forest dwelling community woman leadership in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, where she led the woman’s land and forest rights struggles to a huge victory with communities under women leadership have reclaimed and hold on to thousands of hectares of forested land. Incarcerated twice, but her undaunting efforts towards the goals she had set her self to achieve has been a source of inspiration to all around her.

Munnilal – Treasurer. He possibly is one of the finest examples of what Gramsci visioned as the Organic Intellectual. From the Taungya Community – the manufactured community which regrew vast tracts of what stands today as India’s forest wealth, he does what an organic intellectual does – silently, but relentlessly, with politics and vision very clear, is raising the community awareness to start thinking and acting as custodians, not as encroachers, bonded to the Forest Department or the State.

Avijit – Organizing Secretary. A dedicated soldier of the Union. Willing to work hard for the objectives the Union is set out to do.

And Last BUT never the Least,

The ‘soul’ in the Union – Bharti. A staunch feminist, Marxist, politically born out of the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Vahini student youth movement led by Jay Prakash Narayan. She moved on from urban work to organize women and men of forest dependent communities and when she spoke from the wheelchair on the streets of India – sites of Protest – her one and only message was – “ humari jangal ki bahali hum khud karenege – it is only us who will be the custodians of of our forests “. She lives as a shining light , the soul of the Union.

And many others – Guddu, Praduman, Lakhmi , Munnar, Pan Kumari, Matadayal ji, Balkeswar, Naeem bhai, Eslamun, Jibril,

And still so many more…… and growing ….