Prabhu Dandavathimath

PRABHU DANDAVATHIAMATH, who died in Dharwad on April 2, aged 44, was one of the unsung heroes of India's environmental movement. After completing his PhD from the Institute of Science in Mumbai, Prabhu joined the staff of Belgaum college, while retaining strong links with the Samaj Parivartan Samudaya (SPS), one of the leading activist groups in the enviorn- mental field. He contributed significantly to two of SPS's campaigns, the first against the pollution of the Tungabhadra river, the second against the handing over of village common land to Karnataka Pulpwoods, a joint sector front for the Birla-owned Harihar Poly fibres. In the early 1990s Prabhu decided to leave leaching for full-time activism. Some of us urged him to move to Bangalore, where he could have commanded a job more commensurate with his qualifications, and where he could have combined scientific research with participation in the environmental movement. However, he decided to devote all his time to the SPS, and became deeply involved with the countrywide opposition to the Draft Forest Bill of 1994, He was instrumental in the publication of two SPS books which together present what is perhaps the most comprehensive discussion of forest policy and legislation in India.