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G H Kangoo Saheb: A Life Dedicated to Kashmir’s Forests, Waters and Ecology (1935–2026)

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9 August 2026

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By: Saleem Beg

The passing of Ghulam Hassan Kangoo Saheb is a deeply personal loss for all of us who knew him, but it is also a loss for Kashmir’s environmental movement. He belonged to a generation of foresters who knew the forests intimately and recognised that the health of Kashmir’s landscapes was inseparable from the well-being of its people.

He was also moulded by the rich tradition of earlier foresters whose knowledge and dedication to preserving the natural wealth of the subcontinent played a vital role in protecting its forests and landscapes.

I first met Kangoo Saheb in the late 1970s, when he was posted as Divisional Forest Officer, Anantnag. Those early encounters left a lasting impression on me. Through him I also came to know Ghulam Naqashband, then Chief Conservator of Forests, J&K—a deeply erudite forester and representative of an older tradition of forestry in which forests were carefully surveyed, mapped and understood as a precious resource of the subcontinent.

Looking back, one realises how much the meaning of forests has changed. What was once largely regarded as an economic resource is today a critical ecological asset. In an age of climate change, forests are indispensable for water security, soil conservation and biodiversity. It is therefore particularly unfortunate that a forester of Naqashband’s stature passed away in relative obscurity in faraway Europe. I remember him with respect, and believe that the contributions of such pioneers deserve a much larger place in the environmental history of Kashmir.

Kangoo Saheb himself went on to make a pioneering contribution to this field. In 1978, he was appointed the first Director of the Soil & Water Conservation Department. This was a time when the language of integrated watershed management was still relatively new, yet Kangoo Saheb understood its importance instinctively and professionally.

It was, however, after his retirement from government service that I came to appreciate another dimension of his personality even more closely. During the last ten years, I had the opportunity to interact with him through the People’s Ecological Council, which he established with the support of others who shared his concerns. The Council had very limited resources, but Kangoo Saheb possessed something more valuable—conviction, knowledge and an extraordinary capacity to inspire people.

What I remember most is his zeal. Even at an age when many would have withdrawn from public engagement, Kangoo Saheb continued to participate, advise and persuade.

In the later part of his life, he was also eager to complete the mission of his dear friend, Hakim Tahir Saheb, another distinguished expert who served the State in senior positions in the Agriculture Department. This mission was to publish a religious text written by Hakim Tahir Saheb, perhaps a commentary on the Holy Book. When I met Kangoo Saheb last year, he told me that he had given the manuscript its finishing touches. It was heartening to see that even in his later years, he remained committed to fulfilling the wishes and unfinished work of a dear friend.

I will remember Kangoo Saheb with affection and gratitude—for the conversations, for his unwavering commitment to Kashmir’s environment, and for the enthusiasm with which he inspired so many of us.

Kangoo Saheb will be deeply missed. His zeal will be missed.

If you want, I can also give this a more literary newspaper op-ed structure with a stronger opening and closing, while still preserving the author’s original language.

The writer is former Director General Tourism Department, J&K and convener, INTACH, J&K chapter

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