We may praise a person’s dedication, discipline and way of working. But should we automatically praise what that work ultimately served? Why did Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar wanted to promote chemistry in India? Scientific progress is not automatically synonymous with human or ecological progress. industrial use of chemistry has contributed to pollution, toxic substances, environmental degradation and the destruction of ecosystems. To me, Peepal Baba’s work is therefore far more worthy of admiration—not because it is more famous or technically sophisticated, but because its purpose is directly connected with protecting and restoring the natural world. Those who quietly work to save the Earth, even when their work is slow and they receive little recognition, deserve our deepest respect. we should always ask how much of the Earth we are able to preserve by our work. “Should we do it, and at what cost to nature?” is a question that every human should ask.
