In Remembrance

India’s conservation canvas has been painted with a palette of naturalists, activists,journalists, volunteers and environmentalists. Yet, some shades manage to stand out brighter than others – those who have worked at the grassroots gathering valuable information, implementing vital policies and fighting the poachers, miners, and developers who are unconcerned with sustainability.

My hero came alive 20 years after she died. I sat spellbound. Rachael Carson was speaking out her closest thoughts to me, her voice floating out of the dark, as her love of Muir Woods, the sea, of nature itself, carried gently across the room. Every word resonated with my innermost…

He seldom spoke about himself, but he did open up when I met him with Dr. Sálim Ali during the Bombay Natural History Society’s (BNHS) centenary celebrations…

Born in Murshidabad, West Bengal, Robin Banerjee graduated from Liverpool University and after a stint with the British Navy, returned to India, where he worked as the Chief Medical Officer with the Chabua Tea Estate, Assam.

June 2012: A lawyer who was extraordinarily in love with nature. That would accurately describe E.R.C. Davidar. But not enough to do him justice. Let’s add effective conservationist, incredible organiser, charismatic leader and persistent campaigner. Now we begin to understand just a touch more about a man whose life was dedicated to the defence of the exquisite Nilgiri ranges of…

The late S. Rangaswami was a teacher who dedicated his life to encouraging children to renew their bonds with nature. Bittu Sahgal writes about the inspiring man and his immeasurable contribution to the field of conservation education.

June 2011: Sujatha Padmanabhan, (Environment educator, Kalpavriksh) writes about Rinchen Wangchuk’s indomitable spirit, life-changing initiatives and his legacy.

April 2011: Dear Fateh,

It’s been a month since you’ve been gone. Through the years you have been my compass and life-raft. You influenced most of my attitudes to tigers and to nature itself. And now you are no longer around. I tried for a month to write this letter but nothing would flow. It was like a desert inside…

Tiger man of India and the architect of the Ranthambhore National Park, Fateh Singh Rathore dedicated his entire life to the tigers of the park. His work in Ranthambhore, which included restoring and creating many of Ranthambhore’s lakes, laying a network…

February 2011: An unlikely wildlifer, the late S.P. Shahi retired as the Chief Wildlife Warden of Bihar and was one of the architects of the great wildlife resurrection of the 1970s and 1980s when most of the parks and sanctuaries we see today were selected, notified and nursed back to health.