Madhav Gadgil's contributions to environment conservation immense: Dinesh Holla
Environmentalist and artist Dinesh Holla thanked Madhav Gadgil owing to the many unregulated projects on the Western Ghats that have been halted. He was speaking at the reading and discussion session on Erughattada Nadige, the Kannada translation of Mr. Gadgil's memoir A Walk Up The Hill, organised by the Mangaluru Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to mark the World Book Day on April 23.
Sharada Gopal and Nagesh Hegde have translated the English work into Kannada, while Akruti Aashaya Publications published the work.
'Mr. Gadgil's contribution to environmental protection in general and the Western Ghats in particular was immense. Books like his, especially in local languages, offer hope by raising awareness on ecological issues,' Mr. Holla said.
Introducing the session, INTACH Mangaluru Convener Subhas Basu recalled, 'I was fortunate to have seen Madhav Gadgil work during his days in Bangalore and Sirsi. He was a people's person who valued community engagement.'
Mr. Basu emphasised that books continue to hold immense value even today and noted that INTACH actively publishes its work in book form.
Akruti Aashaya's Kallur Nagesh said language, literature and books are indicators of progress. 'While many feel reading is in decline, the issue often lies in not knowing what to read. That's why we ensured the Kannada version of Gadgil's biography reached readers and it has been widely appreciated,' he said.
Retired principal of Govinda Dasa College, Surathkal, Krishnamurthy highlighted Mr. Gadgil's early connection with books and said, 'He was born in 1942 into a family with a 3,000-book library collected by his grandfather. Mr. Gadgil read most of it as a child, valued knowledge deeply and developed a passion for ecology.'
The event concluded with a brief discussion led by journalist Jayant Kodkani, who engaged the panel on Mr. Gadgil's development philosophy and his critique of unsustainable growth models.
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