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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Ramachandra Guha’s account presents naturalist M. Krishnan as an advocate for making room for wildlife in ordinary places, not only in remote reserves. Krishnan proposed planting parts of city parks and home gardens with native trees, fig trees, dense bushes, creepers, and understory so birds and smaller animals could return.
His conservation outlook also extended beyond forests: Guha describes Krishnan defending scrub, plains, plateaux, pastures, and rocky hill-crests that were often dismissed as “wastelands.” This account is based on Guha’s excerpt from Speaking with Nature: The Origins of Indian Environmentalism, published by Scroll.in.
Key takeaways
- Guha portrays Krishnan as a self-taught naturalist with broad interests in birds, mammals, insects, plants, and conservation.
- Krishnan wanted sections of parks and home gardens to include native trees, fig trees, thick bushes, creepers, and understory growth.
- He valued national parks and sanctuaries, but argued that conservation and people’s contact with nature should not be confined to them.
- He defended open habitats, including scrub and arid plains, as distinctive parts of the natural heritage.
Who was M. Krishnan the naturalist?
In Guha’s account, Krishnan was a self-taught naturalist whose interests ranged across birds, mammals, insects, plants, and conservation. Guha contrasts his broad approach with the public associations of Jim Corbett with tigers and Salim Ali with birds, presenting Krishnan as an “all-rounder” in natural history.
Guha’s excerpt from Speaking with Nature: The Origins of Indian Environmentalism is the source for the account and quotations discussed here. The excerpt was published by Scroll.in.
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What did M. Krishnan say about cities and nature?
Krishnan called for parts of city parks and home gardens to be planted with native trees, including fig trees, and thick bushes, with creepers and understory allowed to grow. He believed this kind of vegetation could bring birds and smaller animals back. The wording is reproduced in Guha’s Scroll excerpt.
His suggestion was about making space for habitat within urban areas, rather than treating greenery as decoration alone. It did not mean that a city garden could replace a forest or other habitat on which particular species depend.
Why did Krishnan support native plants in city parks?
Krishnan’s proposal specifically called for native trees, fig trees, bushes, creepers, and understory in parts of parks and gardens. In Guha’s account, the point was to make ordinary urban spaces more hospitable to wildlife. The excerpt does not provide a universal planting list for cities; local choices should not be inferred from this historical recommendation alone.
Did M. Krishnan believe wildlife should be kept only in national parks?
No. Guha’s excerpt presents Krishnan as valuing parks and sanctuaries while objecting to the idea that all wildlife—and children’s encounters with nature—should be restricted to distant reserves. Krishnan wrote that the idea of fauna being “penned up in national parks and preserves” revolted him, as quoted by Guha.
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His argument distinguishes several settings for conservation; it does not treat them as substitutes for one another:
| Setting | What Krishnan’s argument emphasizes |
|---|---|
| Protected areas | Retain sanctuaries and habitats required by species with particular needs. |
| Open country and scrub | Recognize these landscapes as distinctive habitats rather than expendable land. |
| Urban parks and gardens | Include native trees, bushes, creepers, and understory to support smaller wildlife. |
| Everyday surroundings | Allow people, including children, to encounter nature beyond occasional visits to reserves. |
Why did Krishnan defend scrubland and so-called wastelands?
Guha describes Krishnan drawing attention to scrub, arid plains, littoral scrub, plateaux, pastures, and rocky hill-crests. He challenged the assumption that these landscapes mattered less than forests simply because they were open or were called “wastelands.”
Krishnan wrote that such places had their own distinctive wildlife and were part of the natural heritage, as much as hill forests. Guha’s excerpt presents this as a critique of the low attention given to their depletion; it does not establish their present-day condition.
What does the Silent Valley example show?
Guha’s excerpt recounts Krishnan’s advocacy for Silent Valley in connection with the lion-tailed macaque and its specialized forest habitat. Krishnan opposed a dam threat to the valley, arguing for the preservation of habitat on which the macaque relied.
The example underscores the distinction in his conservation outlook: urban parks and gardens can make room for wildlife, but they do not replace specialized habitats such as the forest discussed in the Silent Valley passage.
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How did Krishnan think about wildlife and conservation?
Guha presents Krishnan as attentive not only to charismatic large mammals but also to less visible animals, plants, and habitats. The excerpt recounts his question about calling a forest area a “Tiger Sanctuary” when the tiger was its most inconspicuous feature. That question reflects his broader interest in what conservation overlooks when attention centers on a single famous species.
His view connected reserves, open landscapes, and cities: conservation should recognize a range of species and habitats, while making room for nature in ordinary surroundings too.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is Speaking with Nature about?
Speaking with Nature: The Origins of Indian Environmentalism is Ramachandra Guha’s book from which the Scroll article is excerpted. The excerpt places Krishnan’s views within a broader account of Indian environmental thought. Scroll identifies the book as published by HarperCollins India.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsReaders can find Guha’s account of Krishnan and the quotations discussed here in the Scroll excerpt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was M. Krishnan?
Guha presents M. Krishnan as a self-taught, wide-ranging naturalist interested in birds, mammals, insects, plants, and conservation.
What did M. Krishnan say about making cities hospitable to nature?
He proposed planting parts of parks and home gardens with native trees, fig trees, thick bushes, creepers, and understory so birds and smaller animals could return, as quoted in Guha’s Scroll excerpt.
Did Krishnan think wildlife belonged only in national parks?
No. He valued protected areas but argued that wildlife and people’s everyday contact with nature should not be limited to distant reserves.
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Why did Krishnan care about scrub and “wastelands”?
He regarded scrub and other open landscapes as distinctive habitats with their own wildlife, not as ecologically empty land simply because they were not forests.
The Bottom Line
Guha’s portrait of M. Krishnan links wildlife-friendly cities with a wider conservation ethic: make room for nature in parks and gardens, protect specialized habitats, and recognize the value of open landscapes often dismissed as “wastelands.”
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