https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Hema_SaneHema Sane - Revision history2026-08-01T23:34:06ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Hema_Sane&diff=502530&oldid=prevChristinTrickett at 08:56, 28 December 20252025-12-28T08:56:37Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian botanist (1940–2025)}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Hema Sane<br />
| image = Portrait of Hema Sane.png<br />
| alt = <br />
| caption = <br />
| birth_name = <br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|3|13|df=y}}<br />
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|9|19|1940|3|13|df=y}}<br />
| birth_place = <br />
| death_place = [[Pune]], Maharashtra, India<br />
| other_names = <br />
| spouse = <br />
| children = <br />
| occupation = Botanist, writer<br />
| years_active = 1962–2000<br />
| known_for = <br />
| movement = <br />
| alma_mater = [[Savitribai Phule Pune University]]<br />
| party = <br />
| otherparty = <br />
| notable_works = <br />
| awards = <br />
}}<br />
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'''Hema Sane''' (13 March 1940 – 19 September 2025) was an Indian [[Botany|botanist]], environmentalist, educator and author, known for her minimalist, electricity-free lifestyle and long service in botanical education.<br />
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==Early life and education==<br />
Hema Sane was born on 13 March 1940.<ref name="IEWickedPass25">{{Cite web |date=2025-09-20 |title=Botanist with 'wicked, wicked' way of sustainable living passes away at 85 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/botanist-wicked-way-sustainable-living-passes-away-85-10260634/ |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Who was Hema Sane? The fearless, nature-loving botanist who lived without electricity |date=25 September 2025 |url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/who-was-hema-sane-the-fearless-nature-loving-botanist-who-lived-without-electricity-wovqfcz0 |access-date=2025-09-25}}</ref> She completed her PhD from Pune University and later obtained an MPhil in [[Indology]].<ref name="IEWickedPass25" /><br />
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==Career==<br />
From 1962 until her retirement in 2000, Sane taught botany at Abasaheb Garware College in Pune.<ref name="IEWickedPass25"/> She served as the head of the Botany Department and mentored many doctoral students.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Botanist Sane passes away at 85 |work=The Times of India |date=20 September 2025 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/botanist-sane-passes-away-at-85/articleshow/124005625.cms |access-date=2025-09-20}}</ref> <br />
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She authored more than 30 books covering botany, medicinal plants, sustainable development, plant morphology, the trees of Buddhism and Indian flora.<ref name="IEWickedPass25"/><ref name="Mongabay">{{Cite web |last=Butler |first=Rhett Ayers |date=2025-09-26 |title=Hema Sane, botanist who lived without electricity, died on September 19th |url=https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/09/hema-sane-botanist-who-lived-without-electricity-died-on-september-19th/ |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=Mongabay Environmental News |language=en-US}}</ref><br />
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==Lifestyle and philosophy==<br />
Sane was known for living without electricity in her ancestral four-storey ''wada'' in Pune’s [[Budhwar Peth, Pune|Budhwar Peth]], considering it consistent with her principles of simplicity and ecological harmony.<ref name="IEWickedPass25"/><ref name="Mongabay"/> For decades she refused modern appliances: she used kerosene lamps, relied on natural lighting, and owned minimal possessions—only books, papers, and a few saris. <ref name="IEWickedPass25"/> <br />
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She shared her home with animals including cats, a mongoose, and birds, often describing herself as their caretaker. <ref name="IEWickedPass25"/> She often quoted that electricity came later in human history and that basic needs were food, clothing, and shelter.<ref name="HindustanTimes">{{Cite web |title=Botanist Hema Sane, known for her eco-friendly lifestyle, dies at 85 |date=20 September 2025 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/botanist-hema-sane-known-for-her-eco-friendly-lifestyle-dies-at-85-101758354412482.html |access-date=2025-09-20}}</ref><br />
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==Death==<br />
Sane died on 19 September 2025 in Pune at the age of 85 due to age-related ailments.<ref name="IEWickedPass25"/><ref name="HindustanTimes"/> <br />
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==Legacy==<br />
Hema Sane is remembered both for her scholarly contributions to Indian botany and her role as an exemplar of sustainable, low-consumption living. Her life and work continue to inspire discussions on ecological consistency, minimalism, and the integration of scientific knowledge with philosophy.<ref name="Mongabay"/><ref name="IEWickedPass25"/><ref name="HindustanTimes"/><br />
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==Selected works==<br />
* ''Medicinal Plants''<ref name="IEWickedPass25"/> <br />
* ''Plant Morphology and Anatomy''<ref name="IEWickedPass25"/> <br />
* ''Kahani Masalayanchi'' (story of spices)<ref name="IEWickedPass25"/> <br />
* ''Marg Shashwat Vikasawa'' (on sustainable development)<ref name="IEWickedPass25"/> <br />
* ''Buddh Parampara Aani Bodhivriksha'' (trees of Buddhism)<ref name="IEWickedPass25"/><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sane, Hema}}<br />
[[Category:1940 births]]<br />
[[Category:2025 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Indian women botanists]]<br />
[[Category:Indian women environmentalists]]<br />
[[Category:Women writers from Maharashtra]]</div>ChristinTrickett