Speaking With Nature By Ramachandra Guha | Mapping The Conversation Around Climate Change

It is not surprising that Ramachandra Guha has brought together Indian history and environmentalism in his latest book . His PhD was on the history of the famous Chipko Movement. Speaking with Nature brings together the thoughts and actions of ten minds to support the central point that Guha is trying to make: India and Indians were very conscious of the need to nurture and live with nature and that industrialisation was beginning to eat at it at the end of the 19th century. Tagore talked of the detrimental results of man라이브 바카라 greed, cutting trees and the resultant rising heat at the Briksharopan ceremony held in July 1928 at Santiniketan to transform a dry and bare piece of land. Kumarappa is an interesting read, because he provides an illustrative insight in to the economic and political strands of pre-independent India and soon after Independence, when there was enough debate on which development model India should adopt. There was clearly a lot of scientific work available and research was being done by quite a few proponents of the village economy to suggest why this was the better model for sustainable and holistic development. Radhakamal Mukherjee, in his works, is also sensitive to the growing Western neglect of agriculture and the rural life and argues for an inter-disciplinary approach to study the socio-ecological aspects of human development. 

In Kumarappa, the reader will discover a perhaps lesser-known Indian who was far more intense in the manner in which he was affected by the Gandhian brand of nationalism. So strong was the impact on him that he changed his birth name Cornelius to Kumarappa, and abandoned European dress for the homespun khadi. Referred to as the “violent exponent of non-violence” by Gandhi라이브 바카라 secretary, he was a critic not only of the British colonial administration but also of the caste system. A vehement supporter of village industries, he designed the Magan deep which used vegetable oil instead of kerosene thereby causing less pollution, and the biomass-using Magan choola. His heart and mind were devoted to improving the lives of countless faceless Indians. Despite being an active member of the freedom movement, he became a harsh critic of his colleagues post-Independence when he found their dedication diluted by the pursuit of personal luxury. 

The chapter on Geddes also makes for an interesting read because here was a Scottish ecologist and town planner who made India his karambhoomi for many years, commissioned to town-plan for Indore amongst others. His plans incorporated the heritage element, the weave of economic activity within city life while maintaining the indigenous cultural spaces. But it is important to note that the colonial administration did not favour his planning perspectives and for most part they remained only on paper. 

The work of Albert and Gabrielle Howard and Verrier Elwin are interesting. They highlight the focus that each of the protagonists Guha has used to make his point were looking at the sustainable practices seemingly inherent in village life. And while all that creates an image of undulating hills and meandering rivers bordering vast farmlands, it is also a fact of history that there were rough edges to that life too. It would be too utopian to conclude that answers to the development question lay in the simple choice of rural over the urban. 

In K.M. Munshi as Independent India라이브 바카라 first Minister for Food and Agriculture, with Forests being part of his portfolio, the reader will find liberal references to the ancient Hindu myths around trees and forests and how faith itself can strongly root practices. 

Perhaps the most interesting profile is the last one—that of M. Krishnan. A prolific writer till his death in 1996, he was a naturalist with decades of extensive ground level experience, which is reflected in the suggestions he gave to protect endangered species, and the need for trees as a symbiotic relationship with birds and bees. 

The central point that Guha has set out to make—that talking of climate change or environmental degradation is neither a recent phenomenon nor is the developed west the custodian of it—is well-made using the impassioned work of the writers, scientists and urban planners of 20th century India. There is also the obvious and not so obvious indictment of the growing carbon footprint of human consumption propelled by industrialisation, the impacts of which were being felt in the sub-continent too. 

But in this biographical anthology, one misses many aspects of the whole narrative around development and its impact on natural resources. Why is the selection of authors in the book mostly from the privileged class? Was it fashionable then as it is now in many quarters to talk about the beauteous world while living a different life? Were the factors of production in the pre-industrialisation era in a perfect state of harmony? What were the inherent dichotomies in the models being suggested with the evolving industrial development and the emerging urban patterns that most ideas remained only ideas? Why has the consciousness not produced the concomitant results? This will perplex many readers. Another aspect that the book does not explore is the existence of concerns that have been around for centuries about the degradation of the environment in all civilisations. 

Despite these gaps, the book does serve as a reminder that as India develops, policies and practices from the past can be interwoven with the contemporary narratives and models most suited to the Indian eco-system. Read it to gain an understanding of some of the figures who are lesser known in Indian history for their concerns about the environment, forests and ecology. 

One hopes Guha will take the story forward in another book now that he has touched upon the “hot” topic of rising temperatures and environmental degradation. 

(Rupinder Pannu Brar is Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Coal, Government of India)