Where Forests and Futures Meet- 'A Walk Up The Hill: Living With People And Nature': Book Review

Cover of "A Walk Up The Hill: Living with People and Nature" by Madhav Gadgil, featuring an intricate illustration of diverse wildlife, including a tiger, bird and deer, surrounded by vibrant flora. (Photograph of the Book Taken from Amazon Kindle)

There are books that inform. There are books that argue. And then there are books that walk beside you, quietly, thoughtfully like an old hill companion who knows every bend in the path and yet never rushes you forward. A Walk Up The Hill belongs to the third kind.

In this deeply personal memoir, Madhav Gadgil does not present himself as a crusader standing atop a podium. Instead, he appears as a listener to forests, to villagers, to forgotten traditions and to the murmurs of streams that have flowed longer than our policies have lasted. His writing carries the calm assurance of someone who has spent a lifetime observing before speaking.

As I turned the pages, I felt less as though I was reading an academic memoir and more as though I was sitting beside him on a moss-covered stone somewhere in the Western Ghats. The hills in his narrative are not mere topographical features; they breathe, endure and remember. The forests are just not statistics in a report; they are living neighbours.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is Gadgil’s refusal to separate nature from people. In his world, an ecosystem is not just trees, birds and rainfall patterns. It is also memory, livelihood, reverence and responsibility.

Gadgil’s reflections on the functioning of the Forest Department are candid. He suggests that when the State distances communities from the land, it inadvertently weakens the very bond that sustains it. When no one feels a personal stake in a forest, who will grieve when it disappears?

There is no anger in his tone, only a quiet sadness and a persistent hope that the bond between people and land can still be restored.

In his memoir, Gadgil gently differs that development must not inevitably come at the cost of forests. He does not argue with raised slogans; instead, he reflects with the calm assurance of someone who has watched hills change shape over decades. One of the most intimate and revealing moments in the book takes us back to his childhood. He recalls a conversation that stayed with him long after the words were spoken. In one of his writings he stated that his baba, may be his father said to him once:

'Madhav, I do believe that we need electricity to drive industrial progress, but surely we should not be paying these environmental and social costs'. He mentioned that this is how at the age of 14, he became aware of the environment and development talks.

That simple exchange spoken not in a conference hall, but within the quiet shelter of home, seems to have shaped the course of his life. It was not merely about electricity or industry; it was about balance. From that tender yet profound beginning, Gadgil’s lifelong journey unfolds. The question planted by his father does not accuse; it invites reflection. And perhaps that is why the memoir feels like a long walk, a steady search for a way where both the forest and the future may stand together.

Gadgil speaks of what he calls the “Welcome Generation.” He sees India’s vast population not as an overwhelming burden but as an immense reservoir of energy. If guided thoughtfully, these millions of hands could restore degraded lands, revive local ecologies and rebuild the fragile relationship between people and nature.

It is an optimistic vision, perhaps idealistic, but it is grounded in experience. He has seen communities protect forests. He has seen local knowledge outperform distant authority and so he continues to believe.

What makes this book particularly refreshing is its simplicity. In an age when environmental debates are often wrapped in heavy jargon or loud activism, Gadgil’s voice remains measured. His writings does not attempt to dazzle; it seeks to clarify. This is dignity in that restraint.

For readers who care about India’s forests, whether in the Himalayas, the Western Ghats or the plains, I personally feel that this book offers context. It explains why environmental conflicts arise, why conservation sometimes fails and why solutions must begin at the grassroots.

But beyond policy and debate, it offers something more enduring: a way of looking at the land with humility.

As someone who loves writing about travel and landscapes, I found myself pausing often while reading. The hills I have walked, the temples tucked away among trees, the village paths after rain — they all seemed to echo Gadgil’s central message: that nature thrives where it is loved, not merely managed.

In its quiet way, this memoir lingers long after the final page — like the cool breath of evening descending upon a mountain trail.

If I were to rate 'A Walk Up The Hill : Living With People And Nature’, written by Madhav Gadgil, I would give it 8 out of 10.

Please note: These are my personal thoughts based on reading this book. Your views, facts and opinions may differ. Feel free to comment if you believe any facts in this article should be reconsidered or re-examined. We all are humans and we can make mistakes.

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Thanks and regards,

Mainak Majumdar

Book Critic

Email: mainakmajumdar.dasgupta@rediffmail.com & majumdar@majumdarbookreviews.asia