India on deep ecology

Profile: Mohandas Gandhi

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948), known as Mahatma (“Great Soul”), developed the concept of satyagraha - nonviolent resistance - during the Indian independence movement. His philosophy of ahimsa (nonviolence) and simple living influenced subsequent social and environmental movements, including Arne Naess’s deep ecology.

Gandhi developed satyagraha while working in South Africa (1893-1914), where he organized resistance to discriminatory laws. The term combines satya (truth) and agraha (firmness or force). He distinguished satyagraha from passive resistance, proposing it as an active form of moral confrontation that seeks to appeal to an opponent’s conscience rather than to coerce through violence.

Profile: Satish Kumar

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Satish Kumar (born 1936) is an Indian-British activist, educator, and editor who founded Schumacher College and edited Resurgence & Ecologist magazine for over forty years. His work integrates ecological sustainability, spiritual values, and nonviolent social change.

Kumar trained as a Jain monk in India, learning principles of ahimsa (non-violence) and reverence for all life. In the 1960s, he undertook an 8,000-mile peace walk from India to America without money, relying on hospitality. This journey demonstrated his commitment to Gandhi’s philosophy of simple living.

Profile: Vandana Shiva

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Vandana Shiva (born 1952) is an Indian physicist, environmental activist, and author who advocates for biodiversity, traditional agriculture, and indigenous peoples’ rights. Her work examines connections between environmental and social justice.

Trained as a physicist, Shiva shifted to environmental activism following the Chipko movement in the Himalayas, where women physically protected trees from logging. She founded Navdanya in 1991, an organization promoting organic farming and seed sovereignty that has worked with farmers to preserve indigenous seed varieties and transition from industrial agriculture.

Profile: Vimala Thakar

Sun, 01 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Vimala Thakar (1921-2009) was an Indian philosopher, social activist, and spiritual teacher who pioneered the integration of meditative inquiry with social justice work. A woman who challenged the norms of Indian spiritual and political life in the mid-20th century, she proposed that inner transformation and outer action are inseparable dimensions of human wholeness.

Influenced by both Gandhian philosophy and the teachings of J. Krishnamurti, Thakar developed an approach to spiritual life that rejected the traditional separation between contemplation and social engagement. She argued that becoming a spiritual inquirer without social consciousness is a “luxury we can ill afford,” while social activism without understanding the inner workings of mind represents “the worst folly.”

Video: Reweaving Shivas Robes

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ewikJxt8Y

Arunachala is a sacred mountain near Tiruvanamalai in southern India. Seen as a manifestation of the god Shiva, it is a site of great annual pilgrimage. Over the last 20 years, it has also been the site of much tree-planting. This 12 minute documentary tells the story of the formation of the Annamalai Reforestation Society (ARS) and examines the juncture between spirituality and practical environmentalism.

Featuring John Seed, John Button and J.Jayarama