A captivating memoir by eminent environmental scientist Madhav Gadgil will not only offer a glimpse into his deep connection with nature but also urge readers to recognise the significance of preserving India's ecological heritage.
The book, "A Walk Up the Hill: Living with People and Nature", is scheduled to release in August this year under Penguin Random House India's Allen Lane imprint, the publishing house said.
The memoir captures the experiences and expeditions that led to Gadgil becoming one of India's most celebrated environmentalists and ecology experts.
It recounts Gadgil's experiences living among the fisherfolk along the west coast, collaborating with horticulturists on the Western Ghats, and immersing himself in the vibrant tribal communities of Manipur and Maharashtra.
Who is Madhav Gadgil?
Born in Pune in 1942, Gadgil was guided by his father's birdwatching, which developed in him a unique ability to identify birds through their illustrations even before he could read. He studied in Pune, Mumbai, and Harvard University, where he focused on mathematical ecology for his doctoral thesis and received the IBM Computer Center Fellowship. He worked at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru for thirty-one years, establishing the Centre for Ecological Sciences. Gadgil was involved in drafting India's Biological Diversity Act and served as the chair of the Science and Technology Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility and the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel.
"It was a gift from my parents that I not only came to enjoy the charms of nature around me but was so completely free of prejudices that I could become one with people of all castes, religions, languages and food habits from all parts of India. This helped me pioneer a series of programmes of networked decentralized monitoring of biodiversity that taught me so much and permitted me to prepare the controversial yet impactful Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel report," the 81-year-old said in a statement.
According to the publishers, the thought-provoking memoir offers a rare glimpse into Gadgil's commitment to environmental conservation.
"Madhav Gadgil's career as one of India's leading ecologists and environmental scientists has been an extremely illustrious one. This book provides an account of his life and work over the last many decades and is a unique document that demonstrates the power of research coupled with action. It is inspiring and instructive-a rare blend!" Karthik Venkatesh, an executive editor at PRHI, said.
The book will be published in eight Indian languages.
