Scientist and Sage

On 11 October 2018, Swami Sanand, earlier known as G D Agrawal, passed away on the 111th day of his fast at Rishikesh in Uttarakhand.

He was widely regarded as a leading authority on the steps that need to be taken for the protection of the Ganga river. He had earlier made an important contribution as member secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board. Agrawal obtained a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley and taught at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Some of his students later emerged as important environmentalists. He was highly regarded by his students.