"Like An Orphan": Madhav Gadgil's Lonely Funeral Sparks Legacy Reflections, Online Tributes
Pune, Maharashtra: Noted ecologist, academic, environmentalist and public intellectual Madhav Gadgil‘s last journey has sparked debate about public commitment to keep up his legacy. The towering figure, who was a Padma Bhushan awardee and the UN Champion of the Earth, reportedly lay like an orphan during his funeral held at Gadgil’s residence at Navi Peth in Pune, Maharashtra. Gadgil died on January 7, 2026, in Pune at age 83 after a brief illness.
Gadgil’s body was taken for cremation on Friday, with only around 40–50 people present there, according to Malayala Manorama photo editor RS Gopan, who had expected large crowds there. There were no VIPs, ministers or even the local MLA. The photo journalist recalls that he, and the police officers deputed to go there had lost their way.
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Although the funeral was with state honors, the body of Gadgil waited for the police officers. “The trees stood in silence, swaying in his honor. Gadgil stood for trees. They have more gratitude than humans, the photographer says.
The incident has prompted online tributes highlighting his Padma Bhushan and UN awards alongside society’s oversight of quiet integrity.
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Gadgil devoted his life to understanding nature as a living system deeply intertwined with people, culture and democracy. Born on May 24, 1942, in Pune, Gadgil was shaped early by scholarship and public service. His father, Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, was a noted economist and policy thinker.
