Mangaluru: The Mangaluru Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) observed World Book Day on April 23 with a reading and discussion session on Erughattada Nadige, the Kannada translation of noted environmentalist Prof. Madhav Gadgil’s memoir A Walk Up the Hill. The programme was held at the Kodial Guthu Centre for Art and Culture at 5:30 PM.
Moderated by INTACH Mangaluru Convener Subhas Basu, the session featured guests Kallur Nagesh, publisher of the Kannada edition; Prof. Krishnamurthy, retired principal of Govinda Dasa College, Surathkal; and artist-environmentalist Dinesh Holla.
Introducing the session, 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.” He emphasized that books continue to hold immense value even today and noted that INTACH actively publishes its work in book form.
Publisher Kallur Nagesh observed that 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.
Prof. Krishnamurthy highlighted Gadgil’s early connection with books, sharing, “He was born in 1942, a year after Salim Ali published his first book, into a family with a 3,000-book library collected by his grandfather. He read most of it as a child, valued knowledge deeply, and developed a passion for ecology.”
Artist Dinesh Holla reflected on Gadgil’s contributions to protecting the Western Ghats, stating, “Thanks to him, many unregulated projects were halted. Books like his, especially in local languages, offer hope by raising awareness on ecological issues.”
The event concluded with a brief discussion led by journalist Jayant Kodkani, former resident editor of Times of India, Bengaluru, who engaged the panel on Gadgil’s development philosophy and his critique of unsustainable growth models.