“To carry his work forward would be the most appropriate tribute.”

–Savyasaachi

One of the earliest supporters of this project was Smitu Kothari, our professor and moral compass who passed away on Monday, March 23, 2009 in New Delhi.

Smitu Kothari

Smitu Kothari was a leading social and environmental activist and scholar, well known for his views on contemporary economic and cultural development, the relationship of nature, culture and democracy, developmental displacement, people’s governance and social movements.

Smitu was a visiting Professor at Cornell and Princeton Universities. He founded Lokayan and Intercultural Resources in Delhi and was a Contributing Editor of “The Ecologist” and of “Development” magazines. He was an important voice in the movement against large dams, particularly among the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada Movement).

Although technically our professor, we thought of Smitu as more of a dear friend, always supporting our ideas while encouraging us to think deeper and push our boundaries further.

He was also a filmmaker, and while he will never be able to see the film in its completed form, we hope that the act of making this documentary is a small contribution to a cause—environmental justice—that he dedicated most of his waking hours to working towards. We deeply regret that it won’t be what it could have been with his input.

We miss you, Smitu. Thanks for lighting the fire.