DR. G.D.Agrawal- on fast until death from June 13th,2008

Professor G.D. Agrawal, now about 76 but in robust health, has been residing at Chitrakoot for almost 20 years now. He has taught Environmental Engineering at IIT Kanpur for almost two decades. He also served as a Dean at IIT Kanpur for a number of years. After that, he was the Member Secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board, Govt. of India New Delhi and during his tenure the air pollution act was enacted by the Indian Parliament. Later he helped to setup Envirotech , a Pvt. Sector company to develop indigenous technology and instrumentation to monitor air pollution and air quality with the help of which air quality data had been generated in the country. During 1990-2000 at the request of Nanaji Deshmukh, he served as a faculty member at the Gramodaya Vishwa Vidayalay set up by Nanaji at Chitrakoot. He worked there without accepting any pay in an honorary capacity as a service to the country. He is one of those legendary teachers whom their students remember even after years. He has inspired many most prominent among them was late Anil Agarwal who founded the Centre of Science and Environment, M.C. Mehta, prominent environmental lawyer, Shri Rajendra Singh, waterman of India, and Dr. B. Sengupta of CPCB. But above all Prof. Agrawal is a man of deep understanding and high integrity inspiring hundreds the world over.

Prof. Agrawal has a deep understanding of Indian traditions and environment and thus has a very different perception about most environment related issues, more rooted and appropriate for our country and the world as well. He has been deeply disturbed, like many others, about the manner in which Gangaji has been treated by successive governments over the years. We have been tampering with the Gangaji , in particular the Bhagirathi (tehri dam is only one among many glaring examples) resulting it in only running like a trickle many times (because of the damning of the flow). At times there has been no water even at Haridwar. This is a severe blow on the faith of a large majority of people in this country. And faith is a big thing. It gives tremendous strength to cope with adversities in life. It unites people. Dr. Agarwal is much pained by what we are doing to the Gangaji and the implications it may have on our people and our country. Having done the damage that we have already done by building dams, he feels now at least the Ganga between Gomukh and Uttarkashi should be left alone without any human intervention.

Unfortunately on such issues of so called 'development', all governments, all political parties have similar views and hence the schemes go on undisturbed, with change in governments. It is almost a global phenomena – the way our elite, the powerful, perceive 'development'. Under the circumstances he has decided to go on fast unto death from June 13th 2008 (Ganga Dusserra). He will find a suitable place in Uttarkashi and start his fast from that place.
He has written a letter to a few people close to him informing them of this decision and the reasons thereof, asking them to pray for him to help him in his resolve.
Dr. Agrawal is not a publicity seeker. He has not reached his decision in a hurry but after deliberating and contemplating about it for a long time. This note is only to inform you and to request you to, if possible, try and talk about the reasons behind the decision of Prof. Agrawal with people you know.

Faith has become a dirty word but is it so? Gangaji is not only an environmental issue but much bigger than that. I know for a fact that During the month of Shravan (august- Sept) when people come to Haridwar to pick up Ganga water and carry it to different Shiv Temples .

It is a strange country – this India _ we do not seem to know it fully as most of us have become alientated (thanks to the kind of education we have received).