Dr. Aparna
Pune : With a heavy heart, I share the sad news that the internationally acclaimed ecologist Prof. Madhav Gadgil passed away last night in Pune after a brief illness. He was 83.
Prof. Gadgil was not only an outstanding scientist who made seminal contributions to ecology, but also a fearless and tireless crusader for environmental protection. As the Chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) in 2010—widely known as the Gadgil Commission—he laid down clear, scientifically rigorous, and uncompromising guidelines to protect the fragile Western Ghats. Tragically, many of these recommendations remain confined to paper, while the Western Ghats continue to face irreversible degradation.
After earning his PhD from Harvard University, Prof. Gadgil went on to establish the School of Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, nurturing generations of ecologists and environmental thinkers.
His extraordinary contributions were recognized globally and nationally. He was a recipient of the Volvo Environment Prize, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and the Champions of the Earth Award (2024). The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri (1981) and later the Padma Bhushan (2006).
It is deeply poignant that his wife, Prof. Sulochana Gadgil, herself a towering scientist, passed away very recently. The Gadgil family has been closely known to me for many years. Prof. Sulochana Gadgil was my mentor, research guide, collaborator, and a dear friend. I last met Prof. Madhav Gadgil on 19 November last year at IITM, Pune, when I spoke about Prof. Sulochana Gadgil at an international conference.
With his passing, we have lost not just an exceptional researcher, but a rare moral voice in science—a man who was outspoken, courageous, and unwavering in standing up for what was right. He was passionate yet dignified, firm yet deeply humane, and a scientist who spoke only the truth, regardless of the cost.
Such individuals are rare. His absence will be deeply felt by the scientific community, environmental movement, and society at large.
May his soul rest in peace.