Sumant Moolgaokar is a giant in the world of industry: a leader of the Tata Group, he was a visionary and innovator. Yet, he was so much more than that. Dr Erach Bharucha, a long-time friend of his, attempts to set the record straight with this celebration of two unknown facets of Moolgaokar's life - his excellence in the field of photography and his environmental concerns. He writes of how Moolgaokar's experiments with managing land, water and living ecosystems were far ahead of his time. This book is also the story of two friends who took pleasure in the wonders of nature and nature's real people - the traditional folk of India. Dr Bharucha retraced Moolgaokar's footsteps after a gap of three or four decades to observe the changing cultural landscapes. Tribal folk across the country are photographed with a rare sensitivity for their well-being and dignity, and with a desire to record their fast disappearing lifestyles and the landscape they lived in. Changing Landscapes is a book about the hidden and unappreciated wealth of our cultural heterogeneity. It is also a hopeful enterprise, in its exploration of how degraded habitats can be restored and the cultural heritage of local people preserved through eco-sensitive management strategies.
