Welcome to Season 2 of Grassroots Nation, a podcast from Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, a show in which we dive deep into the life, work, and guiding philosophies of some of our country’s greatest leaders of social change.

Professor Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil is one of India’s most prolific and well known ecologists. He was born in 1942 into an illustrious family - his father, Dhananjaya Gadgil was an Indian statesman and economist who put together the Gadgil formula. From an early age, Madhav Gadgil was interested in nature, a curiosity that was nurtured by his family, and his neighbour, the renowned sociologist Irawati Karve. He cites his early communications with ornithologist Salim Ali and the writings of JBS Haldane as also being early influences.

After obtaining a PhD in Mathematics at Harvard in 1969, Madhav Gadgil returned to India - much unlike the majority of his peers - to build a career here. His contribution to Indian ecology is vast, establishing key research centres, as is his work on environmental policy - he has sat on numerous committees, was a member of the prime minister’s scientific advisory council and more recently, was the Chairperson of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel.

In this conversation, Professor Gadgil speaks of his extensive research in the Western Ghats, the influence of Marathi poetry on his approach to difficult situations and his prolific writing in English and Marathi.

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1981 and the Padma Bhushan in 2006. In 2023, he published his autobiography, A Walk Up the Hill in multiple Indian languages.

Professor Gadgil is married to the meteorologist Professor Sulochana Gadgil.

Today, Professor Madhav Gadgil is in conversation with Professor Gurudas Nulkar, the director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune. Professor Nulkar is a well known ecologist and academic.

This interview was recorded at Professor Gadgil’s residence in Pune.

Audio used: Segment from a news bulletin from NDTV Profit/BQ Live 27 Aug 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjwWqIh5PN8&t=23s