ABSTRACT
The first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began on 5 June 1972, and it is to commemorate this historic conclave that the day is marked as World Environment Day ever since 1973. Only a biography will unravel the well-springs of Indira Gandhi’s contributions in the field of environment. Perhaps this biography will draw our attention to the influence of her parents, particularly her mother who, in her own words, ‘used to tell me of the links between all creatures’. To Gandhi, environmental preservation meant more than pollution control or saving endangered species. We are now being forced to make tough political choices in different sectors like power, mining and industry to make the inevitable trade-off between environment and development explicit. Almost three decades ago, Gandhi made one such choice in regard to Silent Valley and protected that biodiversity-rich region. She had a much broader conception and that is why she set up the Delhi Urban Arts Commission.
