Chipko, Silent Valley, Narmada Bachao Andolan, and closer to home the Save Aarey movement — when you think of environmental activism in India these may be some issues that come to mind. The environmental and sustainability movement in India, however, goes back much further… as far back as the 1930s and ’40s, when Radhakamal Mukerjee and JC Kumarappa wrote about environmentalism.
Ramachandra Guha “stumbled across” the works of Mukerjee and Kumarappa in a library during the late 1980s, and from there went in search of other such “early environmentalists”. Having found several who preceded even these two, Guha says he ended up filling several notebooks filled with material on India’s “first wave” environmentalists.
But quantifying and recording such history — more so when much of it is not documented — is no easy task. Having started with an essay in 1992, Guha eventually ended up writing this meticulously researched, highly engaging book about India’s relationship with Nature through the years, and the history of environmental thought and activism in India. Guha, a well-known historian and environmentalist, has put together the writings and thoughts of 10 remarkable individuals who wrote with deep insight from an Indian context, about the dangers of environmental abuse. Guha weaves together the stories of these individuals, and the movements and ideas that have shaped India’s environmental consciousness.
The book takes readers on a journey through India’s environmental past, from the ancient Vedic period to the present day. Guha highlights the contributions of key figures, from Rabindranath Tagore to KM Munshi, whose writings played a significant role in shaping India’s environmental movement.
One of the strengths of the book is its ability to balance the narrative between the local and the global. Guha shows how Indian environmental thought has been influenced by international ideas and movements, while also highlighting the unique cultural and historical contexts that have shaped India’s environmentalism.
While the early environmental thinkers such as Tagore — whom Guha describes as “an unacknowledged founder of the modern Indian environmental movement” — left their mark with art, poetry and writing, later came architects, ministers and social activists, all of who form a striking part of this diverse tapestry woven by Guha.
An insight into the current and closer-to-home issue of the Aarey Forest movement, for instance, comes from the chapter on town planner Patrick Geddes. Though he did not follow through and put his thoughts down into a systematic treatise on the past and future of Indian cities, he left enough material to form a thought-base (a supplement to the ubiquitous database, if you will) of enduring relevance.
As Indian towns and cities have expanded immensely over the decades, a series of questions arise for citizens and planners alike, writes Guha. “How can we provide safe, secure and pleasant housing for the different social classes in the city? What forms of transport will city resident suse to commute to and from their workplace? Where will the water and energy to sustain them come from? Can one reconcile growth and development with environmental sustainability? And with aesthetics? … How can we make the lives of city residents more habitable, in all senses of the word?”
These questions apply to each and every human settlement in India; in fact, anywhere. But perhaps in India, less thought has been put into these issues than should have been.
Speaking With Nature is a landmark book that will be of immense value to scholars, activists, and anyone interested in understanding the complex and multifaceted history of environmentalism in India. Guha’s deft way with words, easy to take in without being facile, and presenting heavy-duty ideas in eminently palatable form, is a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of understanding our environmental past in order to build a more sustainable future. His writing is engaging, accessible, and jargon-free, and at the same time the book cites a wealth of primary and secondary sources throughout, bearing testimony to the painstaking work put into it.
Guha, of course, is well known for his writing on political thought, history and cricket, as well as ecology — and this book is an important addition that anyone interested in the world we live in, in fact the very air we breathe, should acquire.
Book: Speaking With Nature: The Origins of Indian Environmentalism
Author: Ramachandra Guha
Publisher: Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins
Pages: 440
Price: Rs 799
