Ecological concerns in the Works of Hansda Sowvendra
Shekhar: An Ecocritical Study
Malwika
Junior Research Fellow
Department of English
Banaras Hindu University
Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract:
Hansda Sowvendra
Shekhar, ethnically a Santhal portrays the cultural world of his tribe in his
works. They are neither romanticized nor exoticized portrayal of tribal
worldview but provide a realistic portrayal of Santhali culture. Since they
live in close communion with nature, they tend to believe the non-human world
as an extension of the higher reality. They revere nature considering it pious
and inspirited. This leads to a development of a worldview which is based on
sound principles of ecological preservation and veneration. The commodification
of the natural world in the capitalistic worldview leads to its rapid
exploitation affecting the various ecosystems which are interconnected to
support life on earth. The paper is an explication of the various ecological
concerns exhibited in the various episodes illustrated in the texts. The paper
employs the theory of Ecocriticism as its methodological tool for the textual
analysis of his works.
Keywords: Anthropocentric; Coexistence; Ecology; Non-
Human; Tribal
Introduction
Nature and Culture although dichotomized in the western
epistemology find an interlinked position in the indigenous society. They see
both the human and the non-human life forms in a constant state of evolution
with mutual interaction and interdependence. Since, literature of a particular
culture deals with a certain set of values and aspects of that culture. So, the
portrayal of the interaction between the human and the non-human world in
Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s fictional world is representative of the underlying
values of the culture to which he belongs. Different cultures have taught man
to align with the non-human environment through itsvarious myths and rituals
performed at various levels. It has become important for mankind to retrace its
path to the cultural understanding of the ancient ways and wisdom as the
present dominant discourse of development is reductionist in its approach. The
materialistic attitude of capitalism is universalising and homogenising in its
essence as it reduces everything into a commodity. The sole outcome of such an
attitude is to reap financial gain which in the short-term might serve the
interests of a certain group of people but affects the earth and everyone
residing on it in the long-term drastically. So, introspection is needed to
change our attitudes towards the non-human world which forms an important part
in maintaining our ecosystems. Carol P. Christ rightly asserts:
The preservation of the earth requires a
profound shift in consciousness: a recovery of ancient and traditional views
that revere the connection of all beings in the web of life and a rethinking of
the relation of humanity and divinity to nature.(qtd. in Rangarajan 121)
An ecological approach to literature becomes imperative
in an age that is intensely aware of the contemporary issue of global
environmental crisis. A critical reconceptualization of the dichotomies like
nature and culture, body and mind, human and non-human, self and other is
needed to address the anthropocentric worldview which keeps men obsessed with
their needs and desires at centre ignoring the well-being of their non-human
counterparts. As proclaimed by Swarnalatha Rangarajan, “Human agency has become
a significant geophysical force at par with the natural forces, modifying the
world’s ecosystems with a greater rapidity witnessed in any earlier period of
human history replacing the Holocene with the Anthropocene”(1). This has led to
a plethora of environmental issues in the form of deforestation, glacier
outbursts, floods, forest fires, deforestation, climate change and the list is
endless. In such a trying time, it has become important for us to introspect
the values of development and growth which are actually based upon
environmental exploitation. It has become important for us to reconnect with
nature understanding the interconnection between the human and the non-human
world. The paper is an effort to trace the ecological concerns in the cultural
ethos of Santhals with an analysis of the works of Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar. As
the tribals inhabit the deep regions of the forest, they possess deep
affiliation with nature. They co-share their existence with nature, assembling
essential commodities with their immediate environment. In spite of the modern
influences, their livelihood and survival are in co-existence with nature. They
regard nature as their part, their extension and celebrate the
interconnectedness between the human and the non-human world. The mode of their
worship is animistic and they worship the spirits which according to them
inhabit the rivers, mountains, hills, forests, trees, villages, houses etc.
around them. They call them “Bongas”. Further, they also have specific ‘totems’
related to the various clans of their tribe towards which they are protective
and respectful which are in the form of animal or another non-human feature of
their environment. Their economic life, food and drinks, art and crafts,
festivities, ceremonies and rituals are intimately linked with nature. Thus,
these eco-centric attitudes and practices could surely provide us with some
solutions to counter the present environmental degradation. The works of Hansda
Sowvendra Shekhar unfolds before us the Santhal way of living and hence, help
us to understand them and their culture in an interactive way. As their culture
is deeply connected to nature, the same is reflected in his works, from
reverence towards the natural world, the mutual coexistence of the human and
the non-human world to quest for peace of mind in the lap of nature and also
the struggle which they have to undergo due to capitalism driven myopic
governmental plans. The works of Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar represent the various
strands of ecocriticism like Bioregionalism, Eco-Spirituality, Postcolonial
Ecocriticism, Deep Ecology etc. The paper employs an ecocritical theoretical
approach as its methodological tool for the critical analysis of the texts.
Ecocritical Concerns in the Works of Hansda Sowvendra
Shekhar
Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar is a contemporary Anglophone
Indian writer, ethnically a Santhal. His stories are rich in “fine details that
add to deep dimensions” and open to us “a world we have deliberately
dismissed”. He characterized his first novel as “the first full-fledged Santhal
novel written in English”. The works portray the cultural canvas of Santhal
community. They deal with various episodes dealing with their beliefs,
practices and worldview. It provides the vivid picture of santhali life with
its fine details.
The novel, The Mysterious Ailment of Rupy Baskey portrays
the story of a village of Jharkhand named Kadamdihi in which the family
of the Baskeys lives. The novel is steeped in the imagery from nature and the
names of the various places mentioned in the novel is based upon the local
environmental specificationsi.e.,the bioregional specifications of that area
like Tereldihi is based upon the abundance of hills in that area, Sarjomdih
based on the abundance of Sarjom trees, Kadamdihi named so upon the
abundance of Kadam trees:
Kadamdihi was named after Kadam tree. No
Kadam trees are to be found in Kadamdihi anymore…but Putki recalls that there
were many when her father and other elders founded the village. There was a
forest of kadam trees down by the streams. (Hansda 10)
It is quite ironical to note the absence of kadam trees
in that village. This indicates that the forest has shrunk due to the onslaught
by man with passage of time and there were no more kadam trees left for which
once the village was known. This signifies the changes overtime in that
bioregion due to increased human intervention leading to loss of an important
bioregional flora of that place. The maintenance of a bioregion is essential
for the proper functioning of the various ecosystems. Robert L. Thayer defines
‘bioregion’ in the following manner:
A bioregion is literally and etymologically a
‘life-place’ – a unique region definable by natural (rather than political)
boundaries with a geographic, climatic, hydrological, and ecological character
capable of supporting unique human and nonhuman living communities. Bioregions
can be variously defined by the geography of watersheds, similar plant and
animal ecosystems, and related, identifiable landforms… and by the unique human
cultures that grow from natural limits and potentials of the region. (3)
Another episode from the same novel illustrates the
effect of modernization on the traditions and beliefs of the community which
exhibit the values of co-existence and veneration towards nature. The
ritualistic practices that shape their worldview seem to have been affected in
the modern scenario. In the novel he problematises this issue to highlight the
essentiality of these rituals in the lack of which the tribal society
disintegrates. The Santhals associate with the supernatural world through their
ritualistic practices. “Ritual is valuable cultural tool in the bioregional
vision that help humans bond with each other, as well as with place and
non-human nature” (Rangarajan 70). As Datta-Majumdar noted, “The Santhals live
not only in their human tribal society but in a greater society consisting of
supernatural beings as well” (qtd. in Troisi71). The episode is suggestive of
the disorganization that the society has undergone due to the mishandling of
the ritualistic practices during the significant festivals of the tribe:
But now, the people of Kadamdihi had stopped worshipping
their gods. The Baha and Maak-Moray festivals were not being organized anymore.
The Jaher had turned into a jungle. Furthermore, the Santhals of Kadamdihi had
started depending on frauds to protect their village and their faith. (Hansda
179)
Further, there are more such episodes dealing with
ecocritical concerns in his othersignificant fiction,My Father’s Garden. The
novel at various places deals with the cultural feature of santhali life and
also possess the spirit of co-existence between the human and the non-human
world. It deals with the prominent festivals of Baha and Maak Moray
along withthe details of the rituals conducted in the Jaherthan:
As Manjhi of Kessorepur, he was tasked with adjudicating
and settling disputes, and most importantly, he was the guardian of the village
Jaher,the most sacred centre of our faith, where everyone prays during Baha and
Maak Moray festivals. (Hansda 130)
The discussion of Jaherthancould be further traced
in the following section from the text which explains its constitution along
with its significance:
In Kessorpur, the Jaher was a plot of land, common to
everyone, where farming was not allowed. The cutting of tree was forbidden and
they flourished there. In the middle stood the huge banyan tree and at a
distance from it were two gigantic Sal trees. Under these trees was the heart
of the Jaher, the shrine of Marang Buru and Jaher Ayo, our chief deities.
(Hansda 131)
In the Santhali worldview the interaction between human
and non-human world is the quintessence of their living. This leads to the
development of an ecological consciousness in them which is an outcome of their
belief in the mutual connection between both of them. A tribal cannot imagine
his life as an individual. He lives in the spirit of his connection with his
community which comprises both the human and the non-human entities. They
equate the non-human well-being as a prerequisite to the health and well-being
of the human world as is suggestive in the words of the narrator from My
Father’s Garden:
How lush and beautiful the Jaher had once been, how men
and animals stayed healthy and productive until the end of their days. A time
when one could walk about everywhere fearlessly. (Hansda 50)
There is again a very strong and powerful section which
concerns with how the narrator is deeply agonized by the cutting of the Sal
trees in the Jaherthan (the sacred groove) by the village manjhi.
He complains,“What would he have gained by cutting down these trees? To kill a
tree is savage. It is like murdering a man. Yet we couldn’t say anything. Those
trees were common property” (183). This thought of equating the loss of human
life with non-human life form is assertive of one of the tenets of deep ecology
as formulated by Arne Naess, “Both human and non-human life forms have
intrinsic values” (qtd. in Nayar 246).
Again, we find a strong ecological consciousness in the
character of the narrator’s father. He aspires to restore the trees in his
personal garden what has been lost in his village due to the cutting of large
number of trees. The narrator says, “Each time a new sapling would have been
planted, as though my father wanted to replace every tree that was cut in
Kessorpur” (185).
The kind of language that is employed by Hansda, is not
anthropocentric but biocentric. He does not see or portray nature for its
instrumental value but for the intrinsic worth it holds. The language marks the
spirit of co-existence and interconnectedness between the human and the
non-human world.
Further, one of the other works is a collection of short
stories i.e. The Adivasis will Not Dance. It provides a staunch critique
of the modern concept of development. This work deals with the aspect of
Postcolonial Ecocriticism and is based upon the exploitation of nature and its
people. Vandana Shiva in her book, Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and
Survivalin India clearly marks the difference between the actual
development based on sustainable living with indigenous knowledge of the
natives and the development as preached by the western patriarchal model of
capitalism which is based upon reaping maximum profit to a handful of people at
the cost of deterritorializing the people to whom the land and its resources
actually belongs. The following excerpt from the short story with the eponymous
title, The Adivasi will Not Danceis well enough to illustrate this and
falls under the tenets of Postcolonial Ecocriticism. These are the following
lines and it deals with the problem of deterritorialization as faced by the
tribal community on account of the various undergoing developmental projects as
is reflective in the setting up of a thermal power plant in the short story
where the narrator resists the project and asks, “which great nation displaces
thousands of its people from their homes and livelihoods to produce electricity
for cities and factories? And jobs? An Adivasi farmer’s job is to farm. Which
other job should he be made to do?”(185).
The following lines from the same chapter of the text
critiques the misappropriation of the Santhals and their culture on account of
serving the projects of development as proposed by the mainstream culture that
has nothing to do with the upliftment of the people from the tribal community. Hansda
through the narrator expresses how Santhals, “Become a servant in some
billionaire’s factory built on land that used to belong to that very Adivasi
just a week earlier?” (185).
Hansda through the narratorial voice of Mangal Murmu, from
the same chapter, marks the exploitation of the Santhals by the mainstream
culture who complains, “We Santhals can sing and dance, and we are good at our
art. Yet, what has our art given us? Displacement, Tuberculosis”(178).Here, a
link between environmental degradation and its impact on human health and
livelihood is quite perceptible. As Ramchandra Guha rightly asserts:
Commercial forestry, oil drilling, and large dams all
damage the environment, but they also, and to their victims more painfully,
constitute a threat to rural livelihoods: by depriving tribals of fuelwood and
small game, by destroying the crops of farmers, or by submerging wholesale the
lands and homes of villagers who have the misfortune to be placed in their
path. The opposition to these interventions is thus as much a defense of
livelihood as an ‘environmental’ movement in the narrow sense of the term.
(143-144)
And the story ends with a few questions raised by the
narrator of the story, Mangal Murmu, rebelling against the capitalistic model
of development. His group is invited to represent the santhali culture by
performing the folk song and dance before the President who has been invited at
the inaugural ceremony for setting up a thermal power plant. The narrator
understanding the pathetic state of his community asks the following questions
rhetorically, in an ironic tone:
Johar, Rastrapati-babu. We are very proud and happy that
you have come to our Santhal Pargana and we are also very proud that we have
been asked to sing and dance before you and welcome you to our place. We will
sing and dance before you but first tell us do we have a reason to sing and dance?
Do we have a reason to be happy? You will now start building the power plant,
but this plant will be the end of us all, the end of all the Adivasi. These men
sitting beside you have told you that this power plant will change our
fortunes, but these same men have forced us out of our homes and villages. We
have nowhere to go, nowhere to grow our crops. How can this power plant be good
for us? And how can we Adivasis dance and be happy? Unless we are given back
our homes and land, we will not dance. The Adivasi will not- (Hansda 187)
Conclusion
Thus, we could trace the development of ecocritical
concerns in Santhali culture through the analysis of its beliefs, rituals,
festivities and struggles it undergoes due to modern intervention in their way
of living. The fact could be well-established that nature occupies a central
position in the lives of Santhal community. The works of Hansda Sowvendra
Shekhar provide the evidence of the same fact that how Santhali culture is
deeply imbued with nature and also how the various strands of ecocriticism are
conspicuous in his works. He provides an insightful representation of Santhali
life, culture and its struggles in the modern world.
Works Cited
Guha, Ramachandra. Environmentalism: A
Global History. Penguin Random House, 2016.
Hansda, Sowvendra Shekhar. The Mysterious
Ailment of Rupi Baskey. Aleph Book Company, 2014.
---. The Adivasi Will Not Dance: Stories.
Speaking Tiger Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 2015.
---. My Father’s Garden, Feel Books Pvt.
Ltd.,2018.
Rangarajan, Swarnalatha. Ecocriticism: Big
Ideas and Practical Strategies, Blackswan Pvt. Ltd., 2018.
Shiva, Vandana. Staying Alive: Women,
Ecology and Development in India. Kali for Women,1995.
Thayer, Jr., Robert L.
LifePlace:Bioregional Thought and Practice. University of California Press,
2003.
Troisi, J. Tribal Religion: Religious
Beliefs and Practices among the Santals. Manohar Publishers and
Distributors, 2000.