Gandhian, environmentalist Anupam Mishra is no more -Governance Now

Gandhian, environmentalist Anupam Mishra is no more

His 1992 book, Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talab, documented traditional water conservation practices

GN Bureau | December 19, 2016

#Gandhi Peace Foundation #Environment #Mahatma Gandhi #Anupam Mishra

Anupam Mishra

Anupam Mishra, an activist-scholar who redefined cross-connections between Gandhian thought and environmentalism, died Monday morning after a protracted battle with prostate cancer. He was 68.

Son of noted Hindi litterateur Bhavani Prasad Mishra, ‘Anupam-ji’ was associated with the Gandhi Peace Foundation (GPF) for most of his working life.

He was among the first to report on the Chipko movement in Uttarakhand. He will be long remembered for his work on water conservation. His beautifully produced 1992 book, Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talab (Lakes Are Still Standing), documented traditional water conservation practices from many parts of north India. It was a two-way process: he travelled to villages to collect the material, and also disseminated the findings. Made available free of copyright, the book has been translated into 19 languages, including the Braille.

Also see his TED Talk on ‘The ancient ingenuity of water harvesting’ here

He also edited the GPF journal, Gandhi Marg, going through the proofs of its next issue last week.

For his Gandhian activism, he was honoured with the prestigious Jamnalal Bajaj Award in 2011, among numerous other awards.

Some of his online writings are collected here

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