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Vandana Shiva

Vandana Shiva is a physicist, environmental activist and author. Shiva, currently based in Delhi, is author of over 300 papers in leading scientific and technical journals. She is one of the leaders of the International Forum on Globalization, (along with Jerry Mander, Edward Goldsmith, Ralph Nader, Jeremy Rifkin, et al.), and a figure of the global solidarity movement known as the alter-globalization movement. She has argued for the wisdom of many traditional practices, as is evident from her interview in the book Vedic Ecology (by Ranchor Prime) that draws upon India’s Vedic heritage.

Being Beneath the Dirt

Shiva was born in the valley of Dehradun, to a father who was the conservator of forests and a farmer mother with a love for nature. Her intellectual prowess carried her through a Ph.D. in physics and beyond, as she went on to interdisciplinary research in science, technology and environmental policy.

Branching Out Roots for Balance

Shiva participated in the nonviolent Chipko movement during the 1970s. The movement, whose main participants were women, adopted the tactic of hugging trees to prevent their felling.

Rising like a Surfacing Stem

She has fought for changes in the practice and paradigms of agriculture and food, contributing intellectually through her writing and also through activist campaigns. She has assisted grassroots organizations of the Green movement in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Ireland, Switzerland and Austria with campaigns against genetic engineering. She also founded the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in 1982, which led to the creation of Navdanya, an Indian-based non-governmental organization which promotes biodiversity conservation, organic farming, the rights of farmers, and the process of seed saving.

Reaching Fruition

Shiva has made important contributions not only to the ecologist movement, but also to the feminist movement, particularly in India. Her book, “Staying Alive” helped redefine perceptions of third world women. Shiva has served as an adviser to governments in India and abroad as well as non governmental organizations, including the International Forum on Globalization, the Women’s Environment & Development Organization and the Third World Network.

Leaving a Legacy

She has earned worldwide applause for her outstanding services to conservation, ecology, and human rights. In 1993, Shiva received the Right Livelihood Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize) for “placing women and ecology at the heart of modern development discourse.” The United Nations has recognized her with two awards, including the Global 500 Award of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in 1993, and the Earth Day International Award of the United Nations (UN) for her dedicated commitment to the preservation of the planet as demonstrated by her actions, leadership and by setting an example for the rest of the world.

Disclaimer: Mud Puds bios are derived from widely-accepted “truths,” as shared in the Public Domain. In the absence of first-hand accounts, information is presented as: “Factual, as far as we know.”