By Matters India Reporter
Patna, July 20, 2026: Jesuit Father Robert Athickal, a pioneering priest who mobilized thousands of young people across India to protect the environment through the Tarumitra student movement, has died July 19. He was 73.
Father Athickal, a native of Kerala, joined the Society of Jesus and devoted his ministry to education, youth empowerment and ecological advocacy.
In the late 1980s he founded Tarumitra — meaning “Friends of Trees” — in Patna, Bihar, as a grassroots student initiative that grew into one of the country’s largest ecological networks.
Under his leadership, Tarumitra established eco clubs in schools and colleges nationwide, organized awareness campaigns, and created a bio reserve outside Patna that became a hub for ecological education.
The movement was recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme and connected Indian youth to global forums on climate and sustainability.
“Father Robert was a prophet of ecological justice,” Jesuit Father Iruday Jothi, who remembers his professor of theology and ecology in theology. “He inspired generations of students to see care for creation as a sacred duty.”
“I found him deeply spiritual and totally Ignatian,” said Father Jothi adding that Athickal’s cosmological understanding of God perceives the universe as sacred, God’s own “body” or dwelling place.
In this view, “to care for the Earth is to care for the body of God,” making ecological responsibility a profoundly spiritual act rooted in eco spirituality.
Father Athickal represented Indian youth movements at international conferences, including Earth Summits, where he urged faith communities to embrace ecological responsibility. His vision anticipated Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls for integral ecology and care for the planet.
Father Athickal’s death comes as India faces mounting environmental challenges, from deforestation to climate change. Advocates say his work remains a model for integrating faith, education and activism.
Tarumitra continues to operate, carrying forward his mission of environmental education and advocacy.
Father Robert Athickal’s most enduring contribution was his ability to link ecological justice with youth empowerment. Through Tarumitra, he mobilized thousands of students to embrace sustainable practices and see environmental care as integral to their future.
Speaking at an organic rice harvest in Patna, he emphasized the role of young people in shaping agriculture: “These students are future of the country. If they develop interest in organic farming, it will pave the way for a sustainable agriculture growth,” he told Matters India.
He often highlighted Tarumitra’s mission of promoting organic cultivation: “Tarumitra has been promoting organic rice by cultivating in its organic farm and creating awareness for organic rice by engaging students, teachers and farmers in rural areas,” he said.
Rejecting chemical inputs, Father Athickal insisted on authenticity in ecological practice: “We use no chemical fertilizers at all. Our cultivation of organic rice is real. It is fully based on organic substances prepared by the members of Tarumitra.”
He also revived traditional methods of pest control, explaining: “It is an old practice that we have been reviving for cultivation without pesticides.”
Jesuit companions pointed out that for Father Athickal ecological responsibility was not a trend but a spiritual and cultural duty. By rooting Tarumitra in both science and tradition, Father Athickal left behind a movement that continues to inspire students, educators, and farmers across India.
