1. Ecocriticism In Indian Writing In EnglishBy
Sandip Kumar Mishra
Ph.D Scholar ,Sub - English,
Guide- Dr. Namita Panda,
Assistant Professor KIIT
Roll

2. Outline Introduction to Ecocriticism Definitions
Ecocriticism vs Green Studies
Interconnection
Ecosystem vs Ethical system
Anthropocentric vs Biocentric
Three approaches
Shades of nature
What ecocritics do
Pathetic fallacy
Ecocriticism in Indian Writing in English-Prose ,Poetry ,Drama & Novel
Conclusion

3. Introduction
Ecocriticism-Scholarly study of Literature with special attention to the significance of Nature in it
Study of the relationship between literature and physical environment
World wide emergent movement Coined by William Reuckert in 1978 , popularized by Chyrill Glotfelty in 1990s
Impact on Indian writers also

4. Definitions

5. Definition…..cont.

6. Ecocriticism vs Green Studies
US calls “Ecocriticism” and focuses on the celebration of ‘Nature’
UK calls “Green Studies” and focuses on the threats or dangers of ‘Nature’

7. Interconnections
Ecocriticism takes as its subject the interconnections between nature and culture, specifically the cultural artifacts of language and literature As a critical stance , it has one foot in literature and the other on land.
As a theoretical discourse, it negotiates between the human and the nonhuman.

8. Ecosystem Vs Ethical system
Our global crisis is not because how ecosystems function
It is because how our ethical systems function
Getting through the crisis requires understanding our impact on nature
It requires understanding those ethical systems and using that understanding to reform them.

9. Anthropocentric Vs biocentric
In ecology, man’s tragic flaw is his anthropocentric as opposed to biocentric vision , and his compulsion to conquer , harmonise ,domesticate ,violate and exploit every natural thing.
Anthropocentric - assumes the primacy of humans,who either sentimentalise or dominate the environment
Biocentric - decenters humanities importance…..explores the complex interrelationships between the human and the nonhuman

10. Three Approaches
Domination Model:-The anthropocentric view…humans dominate the environment
Caretaking Model:-(Still anthropocentric) …positions humans as caretakers of the earth
Biocentric Model:-Rejects anthropocentric views…explores the connectedness of all living and non-living things

11. Shades of nature- From nature to culture
Area wildernes(desserts,oceans,uninhabited continents)
Area 2- The scenic sublime(forests, lakes,mountains,cliffs,waterfalls)
Area 3- The countryside(hills ,fields , woods)
Area domestic picturesque(parks, gardens,lanes)
As we move mentally through these areas,we move from pure nature in the first to what is predominantly culture in the fourth.

12. What ecocritics do Look at the natural world differently
Switch critical attention from inner to outer
Rejects the belief that everything is socially or linguistically constructed
Believes that Nature really exists beyond ourselves , but is with us and affects us(perhaps fatally if we mistreat it)
Apply growth and energy , sustainability and unsustainability , balance and imbalance to view nature in literature

13. Pathetic falacy
Our instinctive tendency to see our emotions reflected in our environment
Example--…...Cruel Sea projects the human attribute of cruelty into a natural element.

14. Ecocriticism in Indian Writing in English-Prose
Ruskin Bond:- His ‘No Room for a Leopard’ presents the pathetic condition of the animals after deforestation ‘The Tree Lover’, The Cherry Tree’, ‘ All Creatures Great and Small’ and many others are all about the chain which binds man and nature, as in the chain of ecosystem, showing interdependence.

15. Poetry
Rabindranath Tagore-“The Tame Bird was in a Cage” (The caged bird has even forgotten how to sing )and “I plucked you Flower” (The human feel that plucking flowers is their own right. Nature is not a silent spectator. One day it will react. It would not be just a thorn-prick but can be a mighty tsunami. The human should be careful about this)
Kalidasa- “Meghaduta”, “ Ritusamhara”
A.K.Ramanujan:- “A River”(Man’s selfish use of river by obstracting its natural flow i.e. making dams, throwing garbage etc.)

16. Drama
Rabindranath Tagore:- “Muktadhara” –water fall ,“Red Olaenders”-Raktakarabi can be read from ecocritical view point.
Mahakabi Kalidasa:- “Avigyana Sakuntalam” shows man nature relationship.

17. Fiction
Raja Rao as one of the most prominent writers of Indian English novels.
His depiction of the South Indian village culture and environmental setting is a true depiction of a relationship between man and nature.
Example:- “Kanthapura”
R.K. Narayan- “The Guide” & “Mulgudi Days” show the treatment of landscape as important theme. The flowing Sarayu, the ruined temple and the stone slabs influence Raju in ‘The Guide” and contribute to his sainthood.

18. Fiction cont...
Kamala Markandaya:- “Nectar in a Sieve” -Nature here is a destroyer and preserver of life.
Arundhati Roy:- “The God of Small Things” -Portrayal of Exploitation of nature by human being in the name of progress and modernization is a dominant theme of the novel.

19. Fiction cont...
Bhabani Bhattacharya:-”So Many Hungers” describes Man’s dependence on nature and how nature hits back when it is threatened.
Kiran Desai:- “The Inheritance of Loss” shows how Kanchanjungha is paid for the brutality of Nepali insurgency . The beauty, serenity ,calm and quiet atmosphere stands totally destroyed.

20. Fiction cont...
Amitav Ghosh:- “The Hungry Tide” It takes us to - The Sunderbans which abounds in animals and these animals also influence the lives of the inhabitants.
In the novel we see the terror of the tigers, known for killing men and animals, among the people of islands.

21. Fiction cont...
 The soul of Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay's novels is bound with man and his interaction with Nature.
Although a Bengali Romantic writer , his novels deal with the two waves of ecocriticism.
Almost all his writings have been translated into English.
He got fame for his famous Apu trilogy popularised by Satyajit Roy, a famous film maker.

22. Fiction cont...
"Making A Mango Whistle" is an abridged version of Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay's eternal novel “ Pather Panchali”.
The story revolves round Harihar,the poor priest and his family.
Their life is as ruthless and miserable as hot summer noon
Yet the children of the family remain unaffected by poverty and get immense pleasure in the open lap of nature . Nature moulds their characters.

23. Fiction cont...
His another novel “Aparajito-the unvanquished ” continues Apu’s love for nature.
The novel shows how nature affects culture and how culture affects nature.
How nature builds positive attitude among man.

24. Fiction cont...
But  ecocriticism is at its best in his famous novel "Aranyak-Of the Forest".
The novel shows how Satyacharan , a city dweller became a nature loving soul.
His sense of guilt and remorse after deforesting a land for earning more revenew for his employer.
The novel is the example of serious concern for nature by the protagonist .

25. Conclusion
To sum up, as a distinctive approach to the practice of literary criticism, “ Ecocriticism”gives increased attention to literary representations of nature and is sensitive to interdependencies of nature an man This approach shifts critical focus from social relations toward natural relationships and views the individual as a member of ecosystem .
More and more works of different writers have been published which could be read under this school of criticism.

30. References
Coupe, Laurence, ed. The Green Studies Reader: From Romanticism to Ecocriticism (Routledge, 2000).Print
Glotfelty, Cheryll and Fromm, Harold, eds, The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology (University of Georgia Press, 1996).Print
Naik M. K,ed.A History of Indian English Literature(Sahitya Akademi,1982).Print

31. Queries?