Ramachandra Guha’s Speaking with Nature explores India’s traditional, unique and profound contributions to global environmental discourses. It also highlights how India’s intellectual traditions and grassroots movements have long advocated for sustainability, community-centred development, and ecological balance.
Guha writes, “By the canons of orthodox social science, countries like India are not supposed to have an environmental consciousness. They are, as it were, ‘too poor to be green’.” Through this book, Guha challenges the widespread belief that environmentalism is primarily the concern of affluent, industrialised nations, demonstrating that India’s complex demographic and ecological landscape has fostered a form of environmentalism rooted in social justice and economic survival.
Guha’s concept of “livelihood environmentalism” emphasises that ecological concerns in India are inseparable from the economic and social well-being of its marginalised and rural communities, contrasting sharply with the Western approach of treating nature as a sanctuary apart from human life. The former aligns with the more recent theories on the “irreconcilable trinity” of sustainomics, which stresses the difficulty of balancing economic growth, social equity and environmental sustainability.
In his introduction, Guha cites the late British historian E P Thompson, who once remarked, “India is not an important country, but perhaps the most important country for the future of the world. Here is a country that merits no one’s condescension. All the convergent influences of the world run through this society: Hindu, Moslem, Christian, secular; Stalinist, liberal, Maoist, democratic socialist, Gandhian.
There is not a thought that is being thought in the West or East, which is not active in some Indian minds.” This sets the stage for Guha’s central thesis: that India’s environmental thinkers, often overlooked in global discourse, offer critical lessons for India and the world, particularly as we face global ecological and social crises.
Through the profiles of 10 key figures, including Rabindranath Tagore, Radhakamal Mukerjee and J C Kumarappa, Guha’s chapters illustrate how these thinkers wove together environmentalism, social equity and sustainable development.
Tagore, celebrated for his literary achievements, is portrayed as an environmental visionary whose integration of nature into education and culture at Santiniketan remains a lasting contribution. Mukerjee’s critique of Western industrialism and advocacy for ‘bio-economic cooperation’ laid a foundation for human ecology, while Kumarappa’s “Economy of Permanence” emphasized decentralisation and sustainability—ideas that resonate with India’s current vision of atmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliance.
Guha also examines the contributions of figures like Patrick Geddes, who promoted urban development that harmonises with nature, and Albert and Gabrielle Howard, pioneers of ecological agriculture whose Indore Method of composting became central to the global organic farming movement.
Mira Behn (Madeleine Slade), a close follower of Gandhi, advocated for environmental sustainability through organic farming and forest conservation, and Verrier Elwin’s defence of tribal communities highlighted the vital link between indigenous rights and environmental protection.
While Guha celebrates the foresight of these early environmentalists, he cautions against oversimplifying their ideas. He critiques the romanticisation of indigenous societies and emphasises that while figures like Tagore, Kumarappa and Geddes offer valuable insights, their ideas adapt to contemporary environmental issues’ complexities. Guha argues that India’s environmental thinkers provide a crucial alternative to Western development models, prioritising sustainability, social justice, and community-based approaches, and this adaptability offers hope for the future.
In fact, the UN’s modern “GDP of the Poor” framework also redefines how we assess economic progress by emphasising welfare instead of solely focusing on traditional economic growth. It measures the contribution of ecosystem services and other non-marketed goods to the livelihoods of poor people, especially in countries like India, where it is estimated that forest services contribute around 7 per cent of India’s national GDP, but account for a whopping 57 per cent of the income of India’s rural poor.
As one of India’s most respected historians, Guha brings a deep understanding of India’s social, political, and environmental history to this work, making his contribution particularly meaningful. The language and writing style in Speaking with Nature is scholarly yet accessible. They blend historical analysis with a conversational tone, where Guha interweaves personal reflections with rich contextual background, making the text both informative and engaging.
Some readers, however, may find his portrayal of early Indian environmentalism somewhat idealistic, potentially glossing over the practical difficulties of implementing large-scale solutions in the Global South. Additionally, as it leans heavily on historical analysis and dense academic discourse, the book’s intellectual rigour may limit its accessibility to general readers.
Finally, Speaking with Nature is a thoroughly researched and thought-provoking work that fills crucial gaps in environmental discussions. Guha presents a compelling case for India’s environmental legacy, offering fresh insights into how sustainability, social justice, and human dignity can be integrated into modern ecological thinking. The book will appeal to environmentalists, historians, scholars and activists interested in sustainability and alternative development models while offering rich material for those simply curious about India’s environmental heritage.
Guha demonstrates how India’s complex demographic and ecological landscape has fostered a form of environmentalism rooted in social justice and economic survival