Tamil Heritage Trust
3 Oct 2026
In his Talk, “Hydrostan: India and her Water Stories”, Arun
Krishnamurthy offers a fascinating perspective of the field
implementation of water conservation projects across India, be they
lakes, ponds, stepwells or cascade system tanks.
Online Talk in English at 5.30 pm IST on 3 October 2026.
To receive your link for the talk, please register
India’s stepwells are remarkable reminders of how our ancestors
combined architecture, engineering and an intimate understanding of
water. But many of these structures have survived only as monuments,
while the water systems that once sustained them have fallen into
disrepair.
The speaker of Tamil Heritage Trust’s Monthly Heritage Talk for October
2026, Arun Krishnamurthy and his Environmentalist Foundation of India
have taken a different approach - they treat these historic structures
as living water systems that can once again serve both people and the
environment.
Arun and his team have taken it upon themselves to restore not just the
stepwells, but the entire network of catchments, storage wells, channels
and recharge structures that feed them. This challenges them to
find contemporary solutions to traditional problems, including
pollution, siltation and declining water quality, while respecting the
archaeological significance of the site.
Arun Krishnamurthy is an environmentalist and conservationist
from Chennai, best known for his work in restoring lakes and other
freshwater ecosystems across India.
A graduate in Microbiology from Madras Christian College, Arun began his
career at Google in Hyderabad. His longstanding interest in the
environment, however, eventually led him away from the corporate world
and towards hands-on conservation. He went on to study at the Indian
Institute of Mass Communication and became involved with Jane Goodall’s
Roots & Shoots program.
In 2011, Arun founded the Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI), a
Chennai-based organisation that works on lake restoration, wildlife
conservation, waste management and environmental education. Under his
leadership, EFI has worked on the restoration of numerous lakes and
ponds across several Indian states, combining scientific methods with
community participation and volunteer mobilisation.
Arun’s work has earned him much recognition, including the Jane Goodall
Institute Global Youth Leadership Award, the Google Alumni Impact Award
and the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2012 for his work on lake
restoration. He was also named a Time Magazine Next Generation Leader in
2022. His work earned him a mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
Mann Ki Baat broadcast where he spoke about conservation efforts across
the country.
A keen communicator, filmmaker and public speaker, Arun has spoken
extensively on India’s rivers, lakes, wildlife and the role of citizens
in environmental conservation.
Tamil Heritage Trust
tamilheritage.in
tamilheritage.in@gmail.com
youtube.com
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