Pune’s Eco-Warrior and Botanist Dr Hema Sane, Famous for Shunning Electricity, No More
Pune, 19th September 2025: Dr Hema Sane, the distinguished botanist and long-serving professor at Abasaheb Garware College, passed away on Friday at the age of 85. She taught Botany from 1962 until her retirement in 2000 and continued to contribute to academia through research and publications well after her teaching career ended.
Affectionately known as the “Encyclopedia of Plants,” Dr Sane was admired not only for her scholarship but also for her unusual way of life. A staunch environmentalist, she lived for decades in Pune’s Budhwar Peth in a home without electricity, a conscious choice she made to stay close to nature.
In an earlier conversation, she explained her philosophy: “Food, clothing, and shelter are the essentials. Electricity came much later, and I realized I could live without it. People often ask me how I manage without electricity, and I ask them how they manage with it.”
Her simple lifestyle was matched by deep compassion for animals. A doctorate holder, Dr Sane had often remarked that her property would be inherited not by humans but by the animals she cared for. “My dog, two cats, a mongoose, and the birds around me are the real owners. I only act as their caretaker,” she had said.
When questioned about criticism of her unconventional choices, she drew inspiration from spiritual teachings. “I do not preach or advise anyone. Like Lord Buddha said, everyone must discover their own path,” she once told interviewers.
Despite her resistance to modern conveniences, she did make rare exceptions. Her kitchen used an LPG cylinder, and during her professional years, she was seen riding a Kinetic Luna scooter across Pune.
Dr Hema Sane leaves behind a legacy of scientific work, an enduring love for plants and animals, and an extraordinary example of sustainable living in a fast-changing urban world.
