Page 128 - Vogue - India (January 2020)

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Anupama Chopra and
Bittu Sahgal at Sequel
Bistro in Mumbai

It’s diffi cult to believe that Bittu Sah-
gal is 72. India’s original environmen-
talist (he launched Sanctuary Asia
magazine in 1981) speaks with a teen-
ager’s enthusiasm and energy about
the issues that have haunted him for
decades—climate change, Earth’s de-
pleting resources and mankind’s con-
sistent myopia. Over a vegan meal at
Sequel Bistro in Mumbai, Sahgal ex-
plained why we all need to care more
about the planet.

Anupama Chopra: You were
talking about climate change
when none of us had even heard
of it. The conversation has now
become a lot more urgent. What
has it been like for you?
Bittu Sahgal: To be perfectly honest,
I’ve given up on my generation. There
are these four horsemen of the apoca-
lypse that we seem drawn to: igno-
rance, arrogance, avarice and apathy.
OUT TO LUNCH I’ve been fi ghting them for 40 years
and I don’t see us anywhere close to
winning the battle. So, I work with
CAPTAINPLANET kids. I fi nd that they don’t have the

same cynicism as adults. They are
trusting, but straightforward.
He’s been saving the environment since the AC: How did your crusade to

1980s, but has recently found a renewed save the planet begin? LOCATION COURTESY SEQUEL BISTRO; ART DIRECTION: NIYATI MEHTA; SHUTTERSTOCK,COM

zest thanks to Gen Z. Bittu Sahgal talks BS: We never had a business plan for
Sanctuary. We never had money or
development, vegetarianism and the line capital either. It was a case of wanting

between need and greed with Anupama Chopra to protect the planet and knowing
that simply talking about it was
not going to change the world. So, we
Photographed by SHREYA SEN launched the magazine and went on
to produce 30 documentaries that
aired on Doordarshan. We reached 30

128 VOGUE INDIA JANUARY www.vogue.in