The recently concluded Vijay Thiruvady Memorial Lecture, saw Mahesh Rangarajan elucidate on how the 20th century shaped India’s present and continues to impact its future. Titled, ‘India Ekologika: Revisiting India’s 20th-Century Environmental History’, his talk highlighted how decisions made at crucial junctures of history had a profound impact on politics, economy, culture and society.
Mahesh is the Professor of History and Environmental Studies at Ashoka University, Haryana. He is also Chair of the Ashoka Archives of Contemporary India. Some of his books include Fencing the Forest (1996), India’s Wildlife History (2001) and Nature and Nation (2015).
BIC was honoring the memory of its member Vijay Thiruvady who started the iconic ‘Green Heritage Walks in Lalbagh.’ Vijay conducted Imperial Colonial Walks in Cubbon Park and Military Heritage Walks at the MEG&C, and participated in the various activities of Bangalore Environment Trust as a trustee.
Mahesh touched on numerous topics during his talk. The following are a few:
Climate Change
One of the most pertinent issue that haunts us today is climate change, “The pace of climate change has a lot to do with human action and changes in the carbon cycle,” he said. When we think about the carbon cycle, one of the consequences is when the quantum of carbon in the atmosphere increases rapidly, and the atmosphere comes under risk.
One of the factors for the increase in carbon is the combustion of fossil fuels; these materials compressed in the Mesozoic and Jurassic Ages are now being extracted and burned extensively.
There are two ways through which we can see the enormous consequences of the changes in the nitrogen cycle and the changes in terms of the carbon cycle. “After becoming independent in 1947, India emerged as a major player in the world, but in environmental terms, two interesting things happened,” said Mahesh.
Around the late 1960s, 70-80% of irrigation water came from surface sources such as lakes, ponds, rivers, and wells. Today, 60% of water for irrigation comes from groundwater. The introduction of tube wells transformed the way agriculture was done.
“This had huge implications, it changed not just the rate at which we extract water, but it also changed our ability to grow more crops at the same time. It also enables the expansion of agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas. For instance, sugar cane was grown in areas where sugar cane was never grown before.”
By the time India became Independent in 1947, there had been intense changes, not only on its political front but also on its relationship with the world. It was “not about how to attain freedom but what to do with the freedom attained”. Many key figures who participated in these debates in the early 20th century made sealed petitions that had a profound impact on our future, said Mahesh.
Gandhi and Industrialisation
Gandhi’s critique of Industrialisation as a project per se, was the idea that “mass production is not the answer to poverty but rather production by the masses.” Gandhiji believed small units would create self-reliance in individuals. Spinning on the chakra and weaving, helped empower a large section of the population. “There was a lot of cultural, social and economic thought behind the projects that were introduced,” said Mahesh.
Birds and animals
Stanley Henry Prater who was one of the curators of the Bombay National History Society, did something in 1948 that no one in Asia outside Japan had done before — he documented the mammals of the country. In the 1940s, The Book of Birds by Salim Ali and The Book of Indian Animals by Stanley Henry Prater saw a sense of Indian nationalism emerging which also included its fauna.
Unleashing of economy
The ‘50s and ‘60s were the time that saw the unleashing of the economy. The 60s were a time of great political and cultural, social and economic upheavals across the world. The Vietnam War, the 1968 Summer Olympics and the Cultural Revolution of China were just a few of the game changers. In India on the political front, “There was a communist inclusive coalition in West Bengal. It was also a time that saw agrarian unrest and food-related unrest in many parts of the country. One of the interesting responses to this was the Green Revolution which lessened the import of wheat from a major superpower,” said Mahesh.
