Obituary: Dhrubajyoti Ghosh

We are very sad to hear of the passing away of Dr. Dhrubajyoti Ghosh (on 9 Feb. 2018), one of India’s most intrepid and persevering environmentalists. His campaign to save the East Kolkata wetlands (its ecosystems, its fisherfolk and vegetable-growing communities) from the rapacious gaze of ‘developers’ has become the stuff of legend. Without him, undoubtedly, many more of these incredible wetlands would have been drained out and built over. Even at an advanced age, his sharp intellect and sense of humour was intact, and his humbling humility remarkable. At a time when we most need such inspiring figures, this comes as a great loss. In 2016 he won the Luc Hoffman Award for conservation work of extraordinary significance, from the IUCN, at the World Conservation Congress.