FORCES OF NATURE
VOGUE India|January 2020
S’well bottle, bamboo toothbrush, cloth tote? Check. But being a true ecowarrior goes beyond the VSCO girl starter kit. It takes science, empathy, hardwork and perseverance to be a change-maker. Meet the women showing us how it’s done.
Neeti Mehra and Shalini Shah
FORCES OF NATURE

PAMELA MALHOTRA, 67
FORESTER AND CO-FOUNDER OF SAI SANCTUARY, KODAGU DISTRICT, INDIA

In 1991, Pamela Malhotra and her husband AK Malhotra acquired 55 acres of land in the South Kodagu district of Karnataka to set up the SAI (Save Animals Initiative) Sanctuary, one of India’s first private reserves. Now, spread over 300 acres, it is teeming with flora, fauna and endangered species like the Malabar giant squirrel, king cobra, and the Bengal tiger. She has now created a multipronged strategy that has, at its core, an ecosystems services programme, where instead of paying the locals cash, they barter services that provide them with training in organic farming, supply them with honeybee boxes and promote native tree nurseries. “Organic farming makes more economic sense and it’s better for the soil, for water conservation and for promoting native trees,” she explains. “The bee boxes prevent crop-raiding by animals, especially elephants, who are terrified of bees, ultimately preventing man-animal conflict while providing an income from honey and pollinators for crops. By raising saplings of local trees, they can sell them to the forest department, government, individual landholders and businesses, who can then plant them to bring back denuded forests.” It’s a chain of interconnected activities. – Shalini Shah

SUNITA NARAIN, 58
ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT (CSE) AND EDITOR OF DOWN TO EARTH, DELHI, INDIA

This story is from the January 2020 edition of VOGUE India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 2020 edition of VOGUE India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM VOGUE INDIAView All
The Real Deal
VOGUE India

The Real Deal

Triptii Dimri's unfiltered spirit shines through as she races ahead on her journey to the field of stars.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March - April 2024
Mrs.Prada
VOGUE India

Mrs.Prada

Almost everyone refers to Miuccia Prada in the most formal of ways, but she herself has never been one to stand on ceremony. WENDELL STEAVENSON meets a designer who has built an empire in her own image: iconic, iconoclastic and  enormously influential.

time-read
6 mins  |
March - April 2024
Happily ever laughter
VOGUE India

Happily ever laughter

South Asians have long clamoured for a seat at the comedy table. Now, Vidura BR, Sabeen Sadiq, Hari Kondabolu and Abby Govindan are in on all the jokes

time-read
7 mins  |
March - April 2024
Anchors aweigh
VOGUE India

Anchors aweigh

Having moved houses almost every year of her life, KALYANI ADHAV's experiences are proof that home is not a place, it's a feeling

time-read
3 mins  |
March - April 2024
Console sisters
VOGUE India

Console sisters

India's female gamers are rewriting the age-old narrative that views women as objects of desire or damsels in need of saving.

time-read
4 mins  |
March - April 2024
Soft serve
VOGUE India

Soft serve

His untimely disappearance from the big screen nine years ago may have caused serious heartburn, but Imran Khan is ready to pick up where he left off-with a few upgrades.

time-read
6 mins  |
March - April 2024
The end of olitter?
VOGUE India

The end of olitter?

Or are we just at the beginning—of a new era of microplastic-free, perfectly-healthy-to-eat sparkle. TAMAR ADLER reports on glitz to feel good about

time-read
5 mins  |
March - April 2024
Smooth operator
VOGUE India

Smooth operator

Can retinol pack the wrinkle-reducing power without the irritation? Chloe Malle test-drives a new generation of kinder formulas rebooting the superstar skincare ingredient

time-read
4 mins  |
March - April 2024
The great gamble
VOGUE India

The great gamble

At the Gucci Ancora showcase in Singapore, Vogue India got within a hair’s breadth of Sabato De Sarno’s debut collection. ROCHELLE PINTO reports on the new direction

time-read
2 mins  |
March - April 2024
Blue jean baby
VOGUE India

Blue jean baby

LEE X Suneet Varma's collaboration featuring Sara Ali Khan merges classic denim with Indian couture.

time-read
2 mins  |
March - April 2024