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Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature
Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India for sixteen years, was as charismatic as she was controversial–at once admired and criticized for her political judgements and actions. Yet beyond such debate, what has not been fully understood is her life-long communion with nature and how that defined her very being. Weaving personal, political and environmental history, politician-scholar Jairam Ramesh narrates the compelling story of Indira Gandhi, the naturalist. He tells us why and how she came to make a private passion a public calling; how her views on the environment remained steadfast even as her political and economic stances changed; how her friendships with conservationists led to far-reaching decisions to preserve India’s biodiversity; how she urged, cajoled and persuaded her colleagues as she took significant decisions particularly regarding forests and wildlife; and how her own finely-developed instincts and beliefs resulted in landmark policies, programmes, initiatives, laws and institutions, that have endured. Drawing extensively from unpublished letters, notes, messages and memos, Indira A Life in Nature offers a lively, conversational narrative of a relatively little known but fascinating aspect of Indira Gandhi’s tumultuous life. Equally, the book acts as a compass to India at a time when the country faces the formidable challenge of ensuring ecological security and sustainability in its pursuit of high economic growth.
464 pages, Hardcover
Published March 20, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 13, 2021
One good thing about not having a Congress government at the centre for past seven years is that, members like P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor kept themselves busy in writing and have regularly published their works. In this book, senior congress member Jairam Ramesh had portrayed the less known and unexplored side of Indira Gandhi as an environmentalist, nature lover, wildlife conservationist and an ardent bird watcher. This book is unique because it brings down voluminous treasure trove of her personal letters, notings, communications and speeches which shows how Indira Gandhi was passionate about wildlife and environment as she continued to fight many crucial political battles between 1965 and 1985. Reading this book left me fascinated because in spite of the political tumult that prevailed during that period, Indira Gandhi found time to care deeply about the nature and wildlife of India and it shows how much she valued them. Let me tell you how much she was into it: when war clouds were gathering around India and Pakistan, she wrote a letter to prime minister of Pakistan suggesting measures to be taken in order to save the critically endangered Siberian cranes migrating from Russia.
Growing up isolated in the gracious home of Anand Bhawan with mother Kamala Nehru being bed-ridden with illness, and father Jawaharlal Nehru spending years altogether in prison and political work touring the villages of India, Indira was a lonely bird during her childhood. Indira’s deep love for nature and wildlife had its roots from her early days when she spent her holidays in the Himalayas, reading her father’s letters, watching the birds from her balcony and her schooling days in Shantiniketan. Since Jawaharlal Nehru himself had studied botany at Cambridge as part of his natural sciences tripos, the letters they exchanged during his days in prison were filled with topics on birds, animals and environment. As Indira Gandhi grew up, she cultivated an immense love for bird watching. Each time a bird was spotted and even when none were to be found; her father was on her mind. The letters reproduced in this book expresses the emotional toll and acute nostalgia which she shared with her father from frequent separations. One such letter read:
“Sometimes when I see a new bird or something I feel like rushing in to call you to have a look and then of course I remember you are somewhere in India, but definitely not in Anand Bhawan.”
Nothing in this book was secondary and it was more like Indira Gandhi directly speaking to the reader. One thing I like about Jairam Ramesh’s writing is that he acts merely as a narrator and he never invade the role of commentator or a critique. While historians and political analysts have grappled with the question of who was the real Indira Gandhi, criticizing her for errors of judgement and action which undermined the democracy of India, this book is a compelling narrative of Indira Gandhi who was a committed conservationist. She was singularly responsible for India’s best known wildlife programme namely Project Tiger, Project Lion and her initiatives for protection of crocodiles, lions, hanguls, cranes, bustards, flamingos, deer, single horn rhinoceros and other endangered species. She almost single-handedly pushed through two laws for the protection the wildlife and conservation of forests which continue to hold sway. She was first to form a separate ministry for environment in which she herself held the portfolio and passed laws dealing with water and air pollution. Her personal intervention into every single issue concerning the environment, wildlife, forests, rivers, beaches and trees showcased her passion for conservation and her efforts towards the protection of our wildlife. This heritage remains matchless to this day as had it not been for her efforts, the national parks that we have and enjoy today might have never survived.
While reading Ramachandra Guha’s Envrionmentalism: A Global History and Abhijit’s Banerjee’s Good Economics For Hard Times, I had a view that Indira Gandhi was critical about western interventions in India’s development and that was the reason for her to deliver a stirring speech in the UN Conference on Environment at Stockholm, accusing the developed countries for stymieing India’s industrial progress. In this book, Jairam Ramesh delves into archives and papers from her personal secretary P.N. Haksar and her speech writer Sharada Prasad stating that how she modified her speech in last minute to add the line “Are not poverty and need the greatest polluters?” which the world read it differently. There are many versions to it even today, but what she actually meant was that the weaker nation battling with economic crisis doesn’t have to be burdened by introduction of new considerations in political and trade policies of the rich countries, which want to battle the ecological crisis. Indira Gandhi was aware of the imminent barriers which kept India crippled such as starvation, unemployment, overpopulation and other internal political threats. She spoke extensively about the need for family planning in order to curb poverty and she was quick to form a cabinet committee on Family Planning in 1967. She had also taken the bold step of making abortions legal with passage of Medical Termination Pregnancy Act in 1971.
Indira Gandhi will be forever remembered for her work on Wildlife Protection Bill, 1972 which was a turning point in the history of wildlife protection in India. The law put in place an elaborate system and network of protected areas such as national parks and sanctuaries. Without this law, to put it bluntly, there would have been very little wildlife left today in the fauna of India. Indira Gandhi had a large network of friends in conservation community across the world. She kept in touch with Salim Ali all through her political career, seeking advice on various issues concerning wildlife. Every environmentalist and conservationist had easy access to her and she would always find time to respond to them. She had no hesitancy in utilizing expert advice on topics she wasn’t well informed and she had great respect for the scientific community. This was well evident from the eulogy written by John Maddox, the editor of Nature, which is one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world. He wrote:
“Quite apart from her belief (taken over from her father) in the importance of research and development in India, she exuded affection for the field and its practitioners – ‘my scientists’ she called them.”
Environmental Conservation journal published an article which was authored by Indira Gandhi a couple of years before her death. In order to understand Indira Gandhi’s stand on issues concerning environment, one has to read this article. This article is noteworthy for one reason that she anticipated the debates currently taking place.
“Some free marketers view the concern for ecology as a conspiracy of radicals to interfere with prosperity and progress. In my own country, development projects have become emotional and political issues, and there is resistance even to give an ear to conservation. This ignores the permanent harm, caused by deforestation and pollution, to the economy and people. A good parliamentarian must be concerned with today but also with tomorrow. Conservation links today with tomorrow. It teaches us the importance of ensuring that development should reconcile immediate needs with long term social interests.”
Today, heads of states and governments across the world wax eloquent about climate change and sustainable development. But five decades ago, Indira Gandhi was among small handful of leaders who took environmental issues seriously and mandated laws concerning its protection. Indira Gandhi’s life in nature started at Shantiniketan. She had once described Rabindranath Tagore as an ‘ecological man’. Undoubtedly, the Shantiniketan student made the Great Sentinel proud by herself evolving into an ‘ecological woman’.
Growing up isolated in the gracious home of Anand Bhawan with mother Kamala Nehru being bed-ridden with illness, and father Jawaharlal Nehru spending years altogether in prison and political work touring the villages of India, Indira was a lonely bird during her childhood. Indira’s deep love for nature and wildlife had its roots from her early days when she spent her holidays in the Himalayas, reading her father’s letters, watching the birds from her balcony and her schooling days in Shantiniketan. Since Jawaharlal Nehru himself had studied botany at Cambridge as part of his natural sciences tripos, the letters they exchanged during his days in prison were filled with topics on birds, animals and environment. As Indira Gandhi grew up, she cultivated an immense love for bird watching. Each time a bird was spotted and even when none were to be found; her father was on her mind. The letters reproduced in this book expresses the emotional toll and acute nostalgia which she shared with her father from frequent separations. One such letter read:
“Sometimes when I see a new bird or something I feel like rushing in to call you to have a look and then of course I remember you are somewhere in India, but definitely not in Anand Bhawan.”
Nothing in this book was secondary and it was more like Indira Gandhi directly speaking to the reader. One thing I like about Jairam Ramesh’s writing is that he acts merely as a narrator and he never invade the role of commentator or a critique. While historians and political analysts have grappled with the question of who was the real Indira Gandhi, criticizing her for errors of judgement and action which undermined the democracy of India, this book is a compelling narrative of Indira Gandhi who was a committed conservationist. She was singularly responsible for India’s best known wildlife programme namely Project Tiger, Project Lion and her initiatives for protection of crocodiles, lions, hanguls, cranes, bustards, flamingos, deer, single horn rhinoceros and other endangered species. She almost single-handedly pushed through two laws for the protection the wildlife and conservation of forests which continue to hold sway. She was first to form a separate ministry for environment in which she herself held the portfolio and passed laws dealing with water and air pollution. Her personal intervention into every single issue concerning the environment, wildlife, forests, rivers, beaches and trees showcased her passion for conservation and her efforts towards the protection of our wildlife. This heritage remains matchless to this day as had it not been for her efforts, the national parks that we have and enjoy today might have never survived.
While reading Ramachandra Guha’s Envrionmentalism: A Global History and Abhijit’s Banerjee’s Good Economics For Hard Times, I had a view that Indira Gandhi was critical about western interventions in India’s development and that was the reason for her to deliver a stirring speech in the UN Conference on Environment at Stockholm, accusing the developed countries for stymieing India’s industrial progress. In this book, Jairam Ramesh delves into archives and papers from her personal secretary P.N. Haksar and her speech writer Sharada Prasad stating that how she modified her speech in last minute to add the line “Are not poverty and need the greatest polluters?” which the world read it differently. There are many versions to it even today, but what she actually meant was that the weaker nation battling with economic crisis doesn’t have to be burdened by introduction of new considerations in political and trade policies of the rich countries, which want to battle the ecological crisis. Indira Gandhi was aware of the imminent barriers which kept India crippled such as starvation, unemployment, overpopulation and other internal political threats. She spoke extensively about the need for family planning in order to curb poverty and she was quick to form a cabinet committee on Family Planning in 1967. She had also taken the bold step of making abortions legal with passage of Medical Termination Pregnancy Act in 1971.
Indira Gandhi will be forever remembered for her work on Wildlife Protection Bill, 1972 which was a turning point in the history of wildlife protection in India. The law put in place an elaborate system and network of protected areas such as national parks and sanctuaries. Without this law, to put it bluntly, there would have been very little wildlife left today in the fauna of India. Indira Gandhi had a large network of friends in conservation community across the world. She kept in touch with Salim Ali all through her political career, seeking advice on various issues concerning wildlife. Every environmentalist and conservationist had easy access to her and she would always find time to respond to them. She had no hesitancy in utilizing expert advice on topics she wasn’t well informed and she had great respect for the scientific community. This was well evident from the eulogy written by John Maddox, the editor of Nature, which is one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world. He wrote:
“Quite apart from her belief (taken over from her father) in the importance of research and development in India, she exuded affection for the field and its practitioners – ‘my scientists’ she called them.”
Environmental Conservation journal published an article which was authored by Indira Gandhi a couple of years before her death. In order to understand Indira Gandhi’s stand on issues concerning environment, one has to read this article. This article is noteworthy for one reason that she anticipated the debates currently taking place.
“Some free marketers view the concern for ecology as a conspiracy of radicals to interfere with prosperity and progress. In my own country, development projects have become emotional and political issues, and there is resistance even to give an ear to conservation. This ignores the permanent harm, caused by deforestation and pollution, to the economy and people. A good parliamentarian must be concerned with today but also with tomorrow. Conservation links today with tomorrow. It teaches us the importance of ensuring that development should reconcile immediate needs with long term social interests.”
Today, heads of states and governments across the world wax eloquent about climate change and sustainable development. But five decades ago, Indira Gandhi was among small handful of leaders who took environmental issues seriously and mandated laws concerning its protection. Indira Gandhi’s life in nature started at Shantiniketan. She had once described Rabindranath Tagore as an ‘ecological man’. Undoubtedly, the Shantiniketan student made the Great Sentinel proud by herself evolving into an ‘ecological woman’.
October 14, 2022
Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in the environmental history of India, regardless of the political standing one takes. The contrasts between an environmentally literate person in a position of power in an early period and the contemporary state of near complete disregard is particularly stark.
November 24, 2017
An extremely well-researched book, and a must for anyone interested in the policies and governance of India's modern environmental and wildlife conservation history. Also, depicts how difficult it is to do on-ground conservation even for the prime minister of a country.
Opens up a completely different picture of Indira Gandhi whose contributions to conservation is only thought to be Project Tiger, Wildlife Protection Act 1972, and The Forest Conservation Act 1980.
Opens up a completely different picture of Indira Gandhi whose contributions to conservation is only thought to be Project Tiger, Wildlife Protection Act 1972, and The Forest Conservation Act 1980.
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October 17, 2020It si an interseting book bringing forth the non-political side of the great woman. I had a chhance of translating half of the book. So read it with all the more attention. It also talks about the way of officials at the highest level. Jairam Ramesh has done a commendable job in putting this book together...
January 6, 2025
A fine recollection.
There may be reason to ascribe partisanship from the author. But a substantial part of the text is backed by hard facts/references.
A good work to go through the post-independence forestry & wildlife conservation journey of India.
There may be reason to ascribe partisanship from the author. But a substantial part of the text is backed by hard facts/references.
A good work to go through the post-independence forestry & wildlife conservation journey of India.
December 20, 2017
First book of its kind for me. Enjoyed the peek into Mrs Gandhi. Admittedly from a single lens (that's the idea of the book), it left me wanting to read more of her correspondence.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews