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VOICE OF REASON
Down To Earth
|January 16, 2026
Why Madhav Gadgil could never be ignored in the land of landslides
EVERY TIME a hill in Kerala slipped, cracked or collapsed into mud and water, one name arose in news columns, television debates, official reports and public conversation: Madhav Gadgil. The ecologist, academic, writer and founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bengaluru, died on January 7 at the age of 83. Gadgil is known for his work in the Western Ghats and, even though he is not from the state, is a consequential figure in Kerala's environmental and political fabric.
This story is from the January 16, 2026 edition of Down To Earth.
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