WHEN GREEN SEES RED

Ecologist Madhav Gadgil's seventh book, A Walk Up the Hill is a chronicle of his life and times in a nation at odds with its environment

- Bijoy Venugopal

A WALK UP THE HILL Living with People and Nature by Madhav Gadgil PENGUIN ALLEN LANE

For those enamoured with treks in the Western Ghats and Instagram-worthy landscapes, Madhav Gadgil’s comprehensive memoir is a necessary reality check. As a prominent ecologist who spearheaded a government task force for sustainable development of this ecosystem, he grapples with optimism and despair in his seventh book. Against the backdrop of a political climate where environmental regulations have become mere formalities, A Walk Up the Hill: Living with People and Nature offers a poignant and reflective journey.

Gadgil was guided towards a career in ecology through a love for nature inherited from his father Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, a distinguished economist and policymaker, who was honoured with a postage stamp. His formative years were shaped by outdoor explorations and the profound influence of his father’s friend, the ornithologist Sálim Ali. Living next door to the pioneering sociologist and anthropologist Irawati Karve enriched his upbringing. When he was nine, his parents granted him a month away from school to accompany Karve in Kodagu. This experience of observing her work with tribal communities proved fundamental in shaping his approach to field-oriented research despite limited funding.