Portrayal of Culture and Eco Perspectives in the Select Novels of Amitav Ghosh

Abstract

Literature has thousands of threads which can weave the kaleidoscopic piece of art. Each thread has its own importance in the creative work. The novel is one such bedazzling thread that educates and entertains its readers. Indian English fiction unveils not just the social issues but the grotesque realities of India while opening the newlinewindow to a plethora of writers. Amitav Ghosh is indisputably one of the most newlineimportant novelists today. newlineGhosh is an eco-critical writer who is mainly concerned with environmental justice and the close connection between ecological and postcolonial concerns. His interest in the tight bond between human lives and the natural world is masterfully explored in his fictional novels The Hungry Tide, Sea of Poppies and Gun Island, in which he illustrates the necessity of re-building a syncretism not only between humans and animals but also among individuals. newlineLife with the harmony of nature and environment is an integral part of human newlinelife. Many ancient cultures have advocated life in harmony with the environment. newlineMany rituals, i.e. the worship of trees, animals, forests, rivers, and the sun, and newlineconsidering the earth itself as Mother Goddess, may seem meaningless in this modern newlineera. These rituals and cultures have connected humans with the environment from newlineancient ages. In the era of development and industrialization, man has neglected the newlineenvironment to satisfy his greed. newlineThe present thesis is a venture to explore how nature is being affected by human activities due to a lack of awareness about nature conservation. It addresses the newlineenvironmental issue of the conflict between the conservation of the natural world and newlinehuman rights in the select novels. The spread of colonialism across the world newlinefragmented manifold dimensions such as geography, psyche, culture, identity, society, language, and religion. Colonialism, especially British Colonialism in India, greatly impacts the Indian environment and culture. In the guise of colonialism, the newlinecolonizers forcibly acquired