Sharmila Vaidyanathan

Dr. Sulochana Gadgil, who has just passed away, was one of India's finest climate scientists. Her research over almost five decades greatly enhanced our understanding of the Indian monsoon. After her doctoral work at Harvard and post-doctoral work at MIT, she returned to the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, in 1973 where she was to play a key role in establishing its Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Her life was devoted to advancing academic scholarship. At the same time, she was also a field scientist who investigated the practical relevance of her work, especially on farming systems in rain-fed areas. Her ability to communicate scientific research to the larger public was remarkable. She was an outstanding personality in her own right. Even so it would not be out of place to mention that she and her husband - India's famed ecologist Madhav Gadgil - made a formidable duo who both individually and jointly mentored, guided, and inspired many. She wrote prolifically. A short piece of hers captures her life beautifully.