The 37th IUCAA Foundation Day Lecture: Why yesterday matters for tomorrow: Rethinking the Anthropocene
by
IUCAA-I/Chandrashekhar Auditorium-0 - IUCAA
IUCAA, Pune, India
Date: 29 December, 2025
Time: 5:30 pm
Venue: Chandrasekhar Auditorium, IUCAA, SPPU Campus, Pune
Why yesterday matters for tomorrow: Rethinking the Anthropocene
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Summary of Talk : The Anthropocene, the era where humans have become a key force in shaping Earth’s systems, is widely recognized today. Understanding when it began—whether after World War II, the Industrial Revolution, or earlier—is more than just about dates or scientific markers. It involves understanding which humans have driven the most significant changes, and why. Over the last 250 years, disparities in power, wealth, and knowledge have been evident, coinciding with the rise of fossil fuels as the primary energy source from around 1780.
The future depends not just on peace with Earth’s biosphere and material cycles but on new ways of relating to all life forms including other humans. India, with its record of millennia of sustainable land and waterscape use, offers valuable lessons. Combining ancient insights with modern science in a democratic framework could foster equity and inclusion, while also promoting peace with nature's living ecosystems and for future generations. The Anthropocene presents both constraints and opportunities, but our choices will define what is to come. The talk will delve into preparing for the future by deriving insights from the past.
About the speaker: Prof. Mahesh Rangarajan is currently a professor at Ashoka University. He was educated at Hindu College, University of Delhi and then at Balliol and Nuffield Colleges, both in Oxford, where he has been a Rhodes Scholar. Dr Rangarajan has worked as Assistant Editor with The Telegraph, Kolkata and and been a commentator on current affairs with the audio visual media in both English and Hindi. He has previously taught at the University of Delhi and at Krea University. He has also been Visiting Faculty at Cornell University, at Jadavpur and in the National Center for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru. He was Director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library ( 2011-15) and has also served as Vice Chancellor, Krea University ( 2021-22). He was Chair of the Elephant Task Force of the Government of India in 2010 and member of the Forest Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Government of India ( 2008-2012).