If A City Forgets Itself, What Lies Ahead? We Ask Harini Nagendra

n this episode of From The Marginlands, Arati Kumar-Rao and Prem Panicker speak with ecologist and writer Harini Nagendra about the lost ecological memory of Bengaluru — a city once shaped by lakes, wetlands, trees and commons that sustained both biodiversity and community life.Drawing on decades of research into urban ecology, Harini traces how cities slowly sever themselves from local water, food and ecological systems, and what disappears when nature is treated as expendable real estate. The conversation moves through Bengaluru’s forgotten lake networks, migrant relationships with urban nature, vanishing traditions of foraging and shared spaces, and the possibilities of restoring biodiversity in rapidly expanding Indian cities.This is a conversation about memory, urban futures, ecological grief, and the difficult work of rebuilding relationships between people and the landscapes they inhabit.ABOUT:Harini Nagendra is an ecologist, author and public scholar working on urban ecology, sustainability, forests, commons, and biodiversity in Indian cities. She is Director of the School of Climate Change and Sustainability at Azim Premji University: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/people/harini-nagendraOfficial website: https://harininagendra.com/ResearchGate page: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harini-Nagendra/3On X: https://x.com/HariniNagendraOn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harini.nagendra/Profile on edX, including course material and background: https://www.edx.org/bio/harini-nagendraTALKS:Harini Nagendra on Bangalore's history through its trees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Zo0C_NliY&t=2sOn ecology and sustainability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k714Y_gpR1UFrom Bangalore's lakes to detective mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeT1hQtcK5EHistory, activism and the Antropocene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V4tig2pARkWhat happened when the British chose India's trees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30dmqoofUXsNature in the city: Changes in Bangalore over time and space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8XJ7AYVe2MThinking ecologically about Indian cities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2IKCCvkzsoLet's talk climate change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMm_OX_mA-8BOOKS: NON-FICTION:Nature in the City: On Bangalore's ecological history, its lakes, trees, urban memory, and sustainability: https://www.amazon.in/NATURE-CITY-OIP-Harini-Nagendra/dp/0199495467/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1Cities and Canopies: An exploration of trees in Indian cities: https://www.amazon.in/dp/0670091219/?bestFormat=true&k=cities%20and%20canopies&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_11_deShades of Blue: On water, lakes and urban futures in India: https://www.amazon.in/Shades-Blue-Harini-Nagendra/dp/0670099694/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1BOOKS: FICTION(Historical mysteries set in 1920s Bangalore, weaving ecology, history and social life into detective fiction)The Bangalore Detectives Club: A sharp young woman in 1920s Bangalore quietly begins solving crimes in a city divided by empire, class and custom: https://www.amazon.in/THE-BANGALORE-DETECTIVES-CLUB/dp/140871518X/ref=sr_1_2?sr=8-2Murder Under A Red Moon: A murder in colonial Bangalore draws amateur sleuth Kaveri Murthy into a web of secrets, politics and social tensions : https://www.amazon.in/Murder-Under-Red-Moon-Detectives/dp/1408715236/ref=sr_1_3?sr=8-3A Nest of Vipers: As danger closes in around her family and friends, Kaveri investigates a case that reveals the darker undercurrents of the city : https://www.amazon.in/Nest-Vipers-Bangalore-Circus-Detectives/dp/1408715244/ref=sr_1_5?sr=8-5Into the Leopard's Den: Kaveri’s search for the truth leads her into the worlds of royalty, power and hidden violence in princely-era Bangalore : https://www.amazon.in/INTO-THE-LEOPARDS-DEN/dp/9357316175/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1 EOMContact us:Email the PodcastArati Kumar-Rao on Instagram Prem Panicker on X (Twitter) Prem on SubstackFrom The Marginlands on Instagram