Mysore/Mysuru: Senior actor and environmentalist Suresh Heblikar expressed deep concern over the destruction of natural environments, highlighting that seventy percent of the world’s lakes have been decimated.

Speaking at the session on saving forests and land, he reflected on his early inspiration from Bengali cinema during his MA studies, where he was encouraged by his professor to pursue filmmaking that captures the richness of India, akin to the impactful French film ‘Breathless’.

He reminisced about his directorial debut ‘Usha Kirana’, which drew from his childhood experiences and emphasised realism, contrasting it with contemporary big-budget films that prioritise actors over authenticity. Heblikar urged the media not to fixate on individual actors alone.

Discussing environmental issues, Heblikar lamented the loss of natural habitats and underscored the need to protect grasslands. “The dominance of unnatural environments is altering global conditions, posing significant threats to human life,” he warned.

Columnist Shashidhar Haladi highlighted the importance of environmental conservation for future generations, citing Poornachandra Tejaswi’s influential role in promoting environmental awareness through literature.

Tejaswi’s shift from serious literature to environmental themes, Haladi explained, was driven by the rapid degradation of the environment and the imperative to educate people about its importance. Haladi shared his literary contribution, the novel ‘Abbe’, which advocates for the preservation of arid area environments and explores themes related to biodiversity such as penguins and the Abbe spider.