Man of nature who foresaw future
With the passing of Dr. Madhav Gadgil, a deep and powerful voice that constantly issued prophetic warnings from the environmental heart of the Western Ghats has fallen silent, and at the same time, a shining star has departed from the sky of global environmental science. Dr Gadgil strongly opposed the dangerous idea of separating mountains, forests, and rivers from human life and calling it “nature.” He repeatedly reminded society that nature is the environment that sustains all living beings. He constantly raised his voice against reckless deforestation and destruction. Whenever he was accused of being anti-development, he responded calmly with one message: development must include environmental protection. Even when the consequences of ignoring this advice appeared in the form of heavy rains, floods, and landslides, he continued to repeat the same warning.
Dr Madhav Gadgil became widely known in Kerala after he chaired the high-level committee appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2010 to study environmental damage in the Western Ghats. The committee submitted its report in 2011. However, long before that, for nearly four decades, he studied the deep impact of human activities on the environment at two of India’s leading research institutions. He also warned about the future dangers of humans moving away from nature. Dr Gadgil studied biology and later completed his postgraduate studies in zoology before going to Harvard University for research. His thinking and approach to nature were shaped by the visionary classes of renowned environmental scientist E.O. Wilson. Later, under Wilson’s student William Bossert, Gadgil focused his research on “mathematical ecology,” a field that uses mathematical models to study environmental systems, which was not widely known at the time.
He became one of the leading figures in this specialised branch of environmental science. The Gadgil Report, which classified 64 per cent of the Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive area and proposed different levels of restrictions and controls, naturally became controversial and faced strong protests. Due to this opposition, the central government later appointed another committee led by Dr Kasturirangan. However, even the diluted recommendations of that report have not been fully implemented yet! The reality is that not only migration and land encroachment, but even mining and large-scale construction in the hill regions became politically “sensitive” issues, and as a result, we chose a path of environmental self-destruction.
Although Dr Gadgil was neither anti-farmer nor anti-development, and although his warnings proved to be accurate, his voice was largely ignored. The punishment for ignoring him may still come in the form of more natural disasters. He consistently said that natural resources must be used fairly and that life cannot survive if separated from the environment. By the time we truly understand the meaning of his words, it may already be too late. Though the nation honoured Dr Madhav Gadgil with awards such as the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, he once said that his greatest reward would be for people to understand and accept his ideas and concerns. This is a tribute to a man who spoke for nature and warned humanity. Salute to the man of nature who foresaw the future.