Jairam Ramesh talks about Indira Gandhi's unconventional biography

Indira Gandhi in Himachal Pradesh 1956 Pics courtesySampS IndiaFor the lady who captured the nationrsquos imagination in her lifetime there is little one would imagine that remains to be said or written But through his book Indira Gandhi A Life In Nature Simon amp Schuster MP and former cabinet minister Jairam Ramesh brings out a littleknown yet defining facet of her personality Ahead of its launch today Ramesh tells us about her legacy in an email interview ExcerptsWhat gave you the idea of writing a book on Indira Gandhi as a naturalistMuch has been written about her But her life as a nature lover has escaped exploration and explanation During my tenure as Environment and Forest Minister I became more aware of this side of her personality She always thought of herself as a nature lover one of her favourite expressions was ecological balanceDuring a retreat in Melbourne 1981How did you carry out your research It took me almost five months to search archives in India and abroad as I wanted the book to be based on primary material mdash letters file notings messages memos and speeches The National Archives turned out to be a treasure trove as did the Salim Ali papers at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Some individuals like British academic Anne Wright shared priceless letters of Indira Gandhi like the ones on the protection of Siberian cranes to the presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan the two gentlemen she wrote to actually responded to her Gandhirsquos concern for ecology precedes the narrative on global warming What drove her conservation initiatives Undoubtedly her father had a great influence on her But she was instinctively drawn to nature too She was a foundermember of the Delhi Bird Watching Society for instance and her letters to Nehru reveal her extraordinary interest in nature She also had naturalist friends like Salim Ali Billy Arjan Singh Duleep Matthai Anne Wright Sunderlal Bahuguna and others who continually engaged with herAt BNHS with Dr Salim Ali 1974Tell us about the bond she shared with Dr Salim Ali Salim Ali had an enormous influence on her and her contributions to saving the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary and Silent Valley She respected him and he had easy access to her My book has many letters the duo exchangedApart from Project Tiger what are some of her policies that people know little of She drove programmes for the conservation of crocodiles and gharials blackbucks hanguls and other species She was responsible for the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and the Forest Conservation Act of 1980 And she set up the Ministry of Environment in 1980 and became its first Cabinet MinisterJairam Ramesh Did this reacquaintance with the former PM urge the economist in you to reconsider your policies To a great extent yes An ecohawk became an envirodove As MoEF Minister while I strove to follow the lsquomiddle pathrsquo conscious of the need to accelerate economic growth I believed that my primary responsibility was to strengthen the foundations of ecological security and enforce environmental laws without fear or favour How do you view Indiarsquos current environmental policies A lot of rhetoric but in reality it is a dilution and weakening of the edifice of environmental regulation built up over the decades